Kinematics Lab

Kinematic analysis is an excellent way of obtaining objective and quantitative data on human movement. The kinematic lab is equipped with the Qualisys motion capture system (http://www.qualisys.com/). The system comprises 4 digital cameras (measuring frequency 1000Hz, with an accuracy of 0.4 mm) that capture and calculate 2-D and 3-D coordinates of retroreflective markers placed on the test subject. The system is suitable for the analysis of a variety of movements, although in our lab we mainly focus on upper arm-hand movements (i.e., pointing and grasping).

Our Qualisys motion capture system (www.qualisys.com) is made up of 4 ProReflex MCU 1000 digital video cameras. These cameras are connected through a dedicated data card for serial communication to a static computer (Dell Precision 390) upon which the QTM software is installed. If necessary the system can also be connected to a portable computer. The system is also equipped with a USB A/D board in order to simultaneously acquire up to 16 analogic channels during recordings of movements.

Plato

In the labs you may also find PLATO (Portable Liquid-Crystal Apparatus for Tachistoscopic Occlusion): a machine used for the tachistoscopic occlusion of visual fields. PLATO glasses are able to electrically control the transparency of the lenses when placed under light, allowing to alternate between a circumstance with an elevated amount of transparency, and therefore perfect vision, and a circumstance of complete visual obstruction. Going between one circumstance and another is quick: 1 ms for opening and 3-5 ms for closing. In this way the investigatore is able to accurately control the time in which visual information is presented to the subject and to distinguish the visual contributions of both eyes.
The tool is easily controllable from a PC and the absence of metallic parts makes it exploitable for MRI experiments.