For our research, we conduct human subject studies to analyze human behaviour and evaluate novel methodologies. Most studies require participants to interact with a robot. Participating in our studies is an excellent opportunity for individuals to learn more about our lab and research, and to interact with our cool robots!
All experiments are approved by a UBC Research Ethics Board.
You may also take a look at our past studies to get an idea of what we do in our lab. Currently recruiting studies are below.
- Investigating Brain Response to Voluntary Head Rotation by Derek Fong
Investigating Brain Response to Voluntary Head Rotation
About
The goal of this study is to investigate the relationship between voluntary head motion and the resulting brain response, which can help us better understand how the brain reacts to rotational velocity. Voluntary head rotation has been shown to reach peak velocities similar to impacts in contact sports, but do not contain the risks associated with actual head contact. Standard Electroencephalography (EEG) techniques will be used to characterize brain response during voluntary motion of the head. This study is being conducted by our labmates at UBC Sensing in Biomechanical Processes Lab (SimPL) in Mechanical Engineering, and is sponsored by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
Eligibility
You are eligible to participate if you are healthy, and 18-25 years old.
You are ineligible to participate if you:
- Have a diagnosed concussion history
- Have a recent history (within 1 year) of head/neck/whiplash injury
- Have recent (within 1 week) neck or back pain
- Have permanent orthodontics (braces or non-removable retainer)
- Are pregnant
- Are unable to give informed consent to study procedures presented in English
What is Involved
Study activities will take between 60-90 minutes over two separate sessions on the UBC Vancouver campus in the CARIS Lab (ICICS X015). The participant will be outfitted with EEG electrodes on their head and an instrumented mouthguard for their upper jaw. The participant will then perform designated head rotations as fast as they are able to (which is at the discretion of the participant).
Interested?
To learn more about the study or to participate in the study, please email Derek at:
Principal Investigator: Professor Lyndia Wu | Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering, UBC
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