Leaders are made: Learning acquisition of consistent leader-follower relationships depends on implicit haptic interactions.

Are leaders made or born? Leader-follower roles have been well characterized in social science, but they remain somewhat obscure in sensory-motor coordination. Furthermore, it is unknown how and why leader-follower relationships are acquired, including innate versus acquired controversies. We developed a novel asymmetrical coordination task in which two participants (dyad) need to collaborate in transporting a simulated beam while maintaining its horizontal attitude. This experimental paradigm was implemented by twin robotic manipulanda, simulated beam dynamics, haptic interactions, and a projection screen. Clear leader-follower relationships were learned despite participants not being informed that they were interacting with each other, but only when strong haptic feedback was introduced. For the first time, we demonstrate the emergence of consistent leader-follower relationships in sensory-motor coordination, and further show that haptic interaction is essential for dyadic co-adaptation. These results provide insights into neural mechanisms responsible for the formation of leader-follower relationships in our society.

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Surgical Audio Guidance: Feasibility Check for Robotic Surgery Procedures

Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering ◽

10.1515/cdbme-2020-3146 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 571-574

Author(s):

Anna Schaufler ◽

Alfredo Illanes ◽

Ivan Maldonado ◽

Axel Boese ◽

Roland Croner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Robotic Surgery ◽

Haptic Feedback ◽

Acoustic Emissions ◽

Surgical Instruments ◽

Additional Information ◽

Tissue Interactions ◽

Haptic Interactions ◽

Visual Clues ◽

To Receive ◽

Expected Signal

AbstractIn robot-assisted procedures, the surgeon controls the surgical instruments from a remote console, while visually monitoring the procedure through the endoscope. There is no haptic feedback available to the surgeon, which impedes the assessment of diseased tissue and the detection of hidden structures beneath the tissue, such as vessels. Only visual clues are available to the surgeon to control the force applied to the tissue by the instruments, which poses a risk for iatrogenic injuries. Additional information on haptic interactions of the employed instruments and the treated tissue that is provided to the surgeon during robotic surgery could compensate for this deficit. Acoustic emissions (AE) from the instrument/tissue interactions, transmitted by the instrument are a potential source of this information. AE can be recorded by audio sensors that do not have to be integrated into the instruments, but that can be modularly attached to the outside of the instruments shaft or enclosure. The location of the sensor on a robotic system is essential for the applicability of the concept in real situations. While the signal strength of the acoustic emissions decreases with distance from the point of interaction, an installation close to the patient would require sterilization measures. The aim of this work is to investigate whether it is feasible to install the audio sensor in non-sterile areas far away from the patient and still be able to receive useful AE signals. To determine whether signals can be recorded at different potential mounting locations, instrument/tissue interactions with different textures were simulated in an experimental setup. The results showed that meaningful and valuable AE can be recorded in the non-sterile area of a robotic surgical system despite the expected signal losses.

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Entropy Based Metrics of Sensory Motor Coordination

Cognitive Systems Monographs - Metrics of Sensory Motor Coordination and Integration in Robots and Animals ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-14126-4_5 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 89-110

Author(s):

Fabio Bonsignorio

Keyword(s):

Motor Coordination ◽

Sensory Motor

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Light, Alertness, and Alerting Effects of White Light: A Literature Overview

Journal of Biological Rhythms ◽

10.1177/0748730418796443 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 33 (6) ◽

pp. 589-601 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Renske Lok ◽

Karin C. H. J. Smolders ◽

Domien G. M. Beersma ◽

Yvonne A. W. de Kort

Keyword(s):

White Light ◽

Light Exposure ◽

Neural Mechanisms ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Experimental Paradigm ◽

Research Paradigms ◽

Lighting Conditions ◽

Literature Overview ◽

Dose Dependent ◽

As Effects

Light is known to elicit non–image-forming responses, such as effects on alertness. This has been reported especially during light exposure at night. Nighttime results might not be translatable to the day. This article aims to provide an overview of (1) neural mechanisms regulating alertness, (2) ways of measuring and quantifying alertness, and (3) the current literature specifically regarding effects of different intensities of white light on various measures and correlates of alertness during the daytime. In general, the present literature provides inconclusive results on alerting effects of the intensity of white light during daytime, particularly for objective measures and correlates of alertness. However, the various research paradigms employed in earlier studies differed substantially, and most studies tested only a limited set of lighting conditions. Therefore, the alerting potential of exposure to more intense white light should be investigated in a systematic, dose-dependent manner with multiple correlates of alertness and within one experimental paradigm over the course of day.

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