"It's amazing," says Nate Schreiber '08 (Sudbury, mass.) as he's sitting across from me, "people have been working with robots for 30-plus years, and still the most advanced robots can't even walk up stairs." Annie Dickson '09 (Ottawa, Canada) agrees, and as the two bounce ideas and questions off each other, it becomes obvious why they make such a good team, "an excellent working team," as their research advisor, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Jonathan Vaughan, says. "Wait a minute," I say. "What does robotics have to do with psychology?"
Quite a lot, as I'm about to find out. Schreiber and Dickson are working on modeling human motor movement in three dimensions using two different computer programs and a philosophy known as the posture-based movement model. The model is based on the premise that human beings have a "goal posture" in mind when they begin movements toward or around an object, a concept known as "end-state comfort effect." Dickson gives the example of a waiter turning an upside-down glass over at the start of a meal. "The initial position is awkward, but the waiter chooses it because the end position, or goal posture, will be comfortable," she explains. "The other main concept behind the posture-based model is a bell-shaped velocity curve, the idea that a motion starts slow, gets fast, and slows down at the end," adds Schreiber, picking up her thought.
Dickson and Schreiber's research builds on previous research exploring the model's effectiveness at two dimensions. "What we're really doing is bringing a lot of things together. Ours will be the first research to combine reaching, grasping, obstacle avoidance, and modeling in three dimensions," says Dickson, with a gleam in her eye. Specifically, the team is trying to model the famous McClelland Reach, a complex movement involving grasping and several obstacles, first written on by a cognitive psychologist in the 1980's. "Success with such a complicated movement would be a huge step," points out Schreiber, "one that wouldn't have been possible without modern computer modeling techniques."
Those techniques are in evidence in the process used to test the model's effectiveness, the team's focus this summer. First, the team models out the predicted path of the reach by inputting the coordinates of the goal posture into a program that creates a flash movie of a stick figure performing the movement. Next, the team has volunteers – or each other – strap four sensors onto their right arm and perform the action themselves, and the actions are tracked by a second program known as "Nest of Birds." "The test of the model lies in how closely the movements of the subjects fit with the predicted movements," says Vaughan, who has already published numerous papers on the subject.
It was Vaughan's interest and passion in the subject while teaching Psychology 250 – Education in a Liberal Society – this past semester that drove Dickson to accept her first research position in Vaughan's lab this summer. Just because Dickson and Schreiber are both psychology majors does not mean they are limited in their research options at Hamilton. Schreiber, for example, did research on implicit attitudes and stereotypes with Mark Oakes, visiting assistant professor of psychology last summer, and plans a senior project "in "something more biological." "A buffet of research options," jokes Dickson, who has a broad base of experiences herself; she plans to minor in Hispanic Studies.
It is Schreiber who brings the topic to robotics. "I feel if we know more about how humans control their movements, we can get robots to do things we take for granted, like walking up stairs or screwing in a light-bulb without a human operator. When asked if he's interested in robots outside of psychology, Dickson answers for him. "You are," she directs him. Nevertheless, Schreiber's career goals stem further into the abstract and involve possibly using his degree in psychology in industrial organization for a consulting firm. While at Hamilton, Schreiber's interests are slightly more concrete. He's an enthusiastic member of one of Hamilton's intramural soccer teams.
Dickson plans to attend graduate school and do research that, she says, will probably be closer to neuroscience and biology than her current research. Nevertheless, she's grateful for the opportunity to continue her active involvement in the Hamilton community. During the school year, she serves as a Resident Assistant (RA) and is a member of both the HEAT Hip-Hop Dance Troupe and the Finesse Step Team.
-- by Elijah Lachance '10
Quite a lot, as I'm about to find out. Schreiber and Dickson are working on modeling human motor movement in three dimensions using two different computer programs and a philosophy known as the posture-based movement model. The model is based on the premise that human beings have a "goal posture" in mind when they begin movements toward or around an object, a concept known as "end-state comfort effect." Dickson gives the example of a waiter turning an upside-down glass over at the start of a meal. "The initial position is awkward, but the waiter chooses it because the end position, or goal posture, will be comfortable," she explains. "The other main concept behind the posture-based model is a bell-shaped velocity curve, the idea that a motion starts slow, gets fast, and slows down at the end," adds Schreiber, picking up her thought.
Dickson and Schreiber's research builds on previous research exploring the model's effectiveness at two dimensions. "What we're really doing is bringing a lot of things together. Ours will be the first research to combine reaching, grasping, obstacle avoidance, and modeling in three dimensions," says Dickson, with a gleam in her eye. Specifically, the team is trying to model the famous McClelland Reach, a complex movement involving grasping and several obstacles, first written on by a cognitive psychologist in the 1980's. "Success with such a complicated movement would be a huge step," points out Schreiber, "one that wouldn't have been possible without modern computer modeling techniques."
Those techniques are in evidence in the process used to test the model's effectiveness, the team's focus this summer. First, the team models out the predicted path of the reach by inputting the coordinates of the goal posture into a program that creates a flash movie of a stick figure performing the movement. Next, the team has volunteers – or each other – strap four sensors onto their right arm and perform the action themselves, and the actions are tracked by a second program known as "Nest of Birds." "The test of the model lies in how closely the movements of the subjects fit with the predicted movements," says Vaughan, who has already published numerous papers on the subject.
It was Vaughan's interest and passion in the subject while teaching Psychology 250 – Education in a Liberal Society – this past semester that drove Dickson to accept her first research position in Vaughan's lab this summer. Just because Dickson and Schreiber are both psychology majors does not mean they are limited in their research options at Hamilton. Schreiber, for example, did research on implicit attitudes and stereotypes with Mark Oakes, visiting assistant professor of psychology last summer, and plans a senior project "in "something more biological." "A buffet of research options," jokes Dickson, who has a broad base of experiences herself; she plans to minor in Hispanic Studies.
It is Schreiber who brings the topic to robotics. "I feel if we know more about how humans control their movements, we can get robots to do things we take for granted, like walking up stairs or screwing in a light-bulb without a human operator. When asked if he's interested in robots outside of psychology, Dickson answers for him. "You are," she directs him. Nevertheless, Schreiber's career goals stem further into the abstract and involve possibly using his degree in psychology in industrial organization for a consulting firm. While at Hamilton, Schreiber's interests are slightly more concrete. He's an enthusiastic member of one of Hamilton's intramural soccer teams.
Dickson plans to attend graduate school and do research that, she says, will probably be closer to neuroscience and biology than her current research. Nevertheless, she's grateful for the opportunity to continue her active involvement in the Hamilton community. During the school year, she serves as a Resident Assistant (RA) and is a member of both the HEAT Hip-Hop Dance Troupe and the Finesse Step Team.
-- by Elijah Lachance '10
