Article

The importance of peripheral visual cues in the control of minimum-foot-clearance
during overground locomotion on a clear path was investigated. Eleven subjects
walked at their natural speed whilst wearing goggles providing four different
visual conditions: upper occlusion, lower occlusion, circumferential-peripheral
occlusion and full vision. Results showed that under circumferential-peripheral
occlusion, subjects were more cautious and increased minimum-foot-clearance and
decreased walking speed and step length. The minimum-foot-clearance increase can
be interpreted as a motor control strategy aiming to safely clear the ground when
online visual exproprioceptive cues from the body are not available. The lack of
minimum-foot-clearance increase in lower occlusion suggests that the view of a
clear pathway from beyond two steps combined with visual exproprioception and
optic flow in the upper field were adequate to guide gait. A suggested
accompanying safety strategy of reducing the amount of variability of
minimum-foot-clearance under circumferential-peripheral occlusion conditions was
not found, likely due to the lack of online visual exproprioceptive cues provided
by the peripheral visual field for fine-tuning foot trajectory.

Langue : ANGLAIS