An Overview of Wearable Haptic Technologies and Their Performance in Virtual Object Exploration.

We often interact with our environment through manual handling of objects and exploration of their properties. Object properties (OP), such as texture, stiffness, size, shape, temperature, weight, and orientation provide necessary information to successfully perform interactions. The human haptic perception system plays a key role in this.

Preoperative exercise in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of preoperative physiotherapy (PT) on functional, subjective and socio-economic parameters after total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods: 20 patients (mean ± SD: age 67 ± 7 years) scheduled for TKA at Balgrist University Hospital between July 2016 and March 2017 were randomly assigned to a control (CG) or intervention (IG) group. 3 to 4 weeks prior to surgery the IG completed 5 to 9 sessions of PT containing proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) techniques, endurance training and individually indicated interventions.

Patients with chronic peripheral vestibular hypofunction compared to healthy subjects exhibit differences in gaze and gait behaviour when walking on stairs and ramps.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare gaze behaviour during stair and ramp walking between patients with chronic peripheral vestibular hypofunction and healthy human subjects.

Methods: Twenty four (24) patients with chronic peripheral vestibular hypofunction (14 unilateral and 10 bilateral) and 24 healthy subjects performed stair and ramp up and down walks at self-selected speed. The walks were repeated five times.

Effects of stretching and warm-up routines on stability and balance during weight-lifting: a pilot investigation.

Background: The efficacy of warm-up and stretching in weight-lifting remains unknown, especially for the weight-lifter's stability and balance during lifting.

Methods: 13 subjects were randomly assigned a 10-minute stretching routine (SR) or a 10-minute warm-up routine (WR) and compared against 5 controls (no stretching or warm-up). Before and after the individually assigned routine, the participants' centre of pressure (CoP) was assessed using plantar-pressure sensors.

Automated Romberg testing in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and healthy subjects.

Objective: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common cause of dizziness. The underlying pathomechanism responsible for the recurrent vertigo attacks has been elucidated in detail and highly effective treatment strategies (liberation maneuvers) have been developed. However, many BPPV patients complain about problems of balance especially following liberation maneuvers.

Effects of simultaneously performed cognitive and physical training in older adults.

Background: While many studies confirm the positive effect of cognitive and physical training on cognitive performance of older adults, only little is known about the effects of simultaneously performed cognitive and physical training. In the current study, older adults simultaneously performed a verbal working memory and a cardiovascular training to improve cognitive and motor-cognitive dual task performance. Twenty training sessions of 30 minutes each were conducted over a period of ten weeks, with a test session before, in the middle, and after the training.