Thesis Project Form

Tools such as rakes or sticks are coded by the users’ brain as their own body’s extensions. How this accomplished by humans is still very poorly understood.

We aim at assessing how posture and proprioceptive information, together with tactile info from skin stretches, can inform the brain that a tool is held in hand; In addition, we wish investigating whether and how the information from the hand can convey the position of the distal edge of the tool, particularly when the latter is located with the peri-personal space. Several experimental conditions will be used to contrast and isolate the critical aspects for this information to be implemented in the CNS. The Hand Blink Reflex will be leveraged to this purpose., making use of portable wireless EMG, constant current DS7A Digitimer electrocutaneous stimulators, and kinematics if appropriate. Virtual Tools may be presented to another set of individuals to try reproducing the same conditions as for real tools to be tested.

Acquisition and application of EMG recording and analyses methods
Acquisition and application of Electrocutaneous stimulation and analyses methods
Knowledge and usage of Unity
Experiments planning and data collection
Data preprocessing and analyses, statistics.
Scientific presentation abilities, reports writing skills.