Moving Toward Answers

Scientists at ASU’s Motor Control Laboratory (MCL) study how the human body gets around. They learn how it plans, organizes, and carries out the business of movement.

To gather information, the researchers study the effects of aging and illness on human movement. They also look at the effects of altered environments, such as the low gravity found on a space station orbiting the Earth.

“Challenging the motor system gives you the opportunity to study how it adapts,” says George Stelmach, director of the MCL and a professor of exercise science.

The research team includes seven post-doctoral and three graduate students. They all study motor control problems. The ASU scientists have a variety of tools at their disposal. Some of the instruments they use include:

Eye-tracking equipment
EMG (electromyographic) equipment that records muscle contraction
3-dimensional cameras that record the X, Y, and Z coordinates of markers placed on a subject’s body
Vision deprivation equipment to study how loss of vision affects movement
Digitized writing pads that record direction, velocity and pressure

—Diane Boudreau