Artificial intelligence-controlled pole balancing using an Arduino board

Automation Process (AP) is an important issue in the current digitized world and, in general, represents an increase in the quality of productivity when compared with manual control. Balance is a natural human capacity as it relates to complex operations and intelligence. Balance Control presents an extra challenge in automation processes, due to the many variables that may be involved. This work presents a physical balancing pole where a Reinforcement Learning (RL) agent can explore the environment, sense its position through accelerometers, and wirelessly communicate and eventually learns by itself how to keep the pole balanced under noise disturbance. The agent uses RL principles to explore and learn new positions and corrections that lead toward more significant rewards in terms of pole equilibrium. By using a Q-matrix, the agent explores future conditions and acquires policy information that makes it possible to maintain stability. An Arduino microcontroller processes all training and testing. With the help of sensors, servo motors, wireless communications, and artificial intelligence, components merge into a system that consistently recovers equilibrium under random position changes. The obtained results prove that through RL, an agent can learn by itself to use generic sensors, actuators and solve balancing problems even under the limitations that a microcontroller presents.

Effects of intensive multiplanar trunk training coupled with dual-task exercises on balance, mobility, and fall risk in patients with stroke: a randomized controlled trial

Objective We determined whether an exercise regime comprising high-intensity training, multiplanar trunk movements, and dual-task practice could improve trunk control, balance, functional mobility, and reduce fall risk in patients with hemiplegic stroke. Methods In this randomized controlled trial, 74 patients (mean age 61.71 years) were randomly assigned to the experimental and comparison groups. Primary outcome was trunk impairment scale (TIS) scores. Secondary outcomes were scores on the Berg balance scale, 10-meter walk test, Timed-up-and-go test, timed-Up-Go–cognitive, and Stroke Impact Scale-16 to measure between-group changes from baseline. We used linear mixed modeling to identify changes over time within and between groups on each scale and whether changes persisted at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Results We observed significantly increased mean TIS scores from baseline to 3 months post-treatment (7.74); the increased scores were maintained at 6- and 12-month follow-ups (8.60 and 8.43, respectively). In the experimental group, all secondary outcomes showed significant and clinically meaningful results. Fall risk between groups was significantly reduced at 6 and 12 months. Conclusions Intensive multiplanar trunk movements coupled with dual-task practice promoted trunk control, balance, and functional recovery in patients with stroke, reduced fall risk, and improved independent mobility. Trial registration: #IRCT20200127046275N1.

The cranial nerves

There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves that are individually named and numbered using Roman numerals. Only some cranial nerves are mixed in function, i.e. they carry both sensory and motor fibres; others are purely sensory or motor and some may also carry pre- or post-ganglionic parasympathetic fibres. They pass through foramina in the base of the skull and are the olfactory (through cribriform plate to the nasal cavity), optic (through the optic foramen to the eye), oculomotor (through the cavernous sinus and superior orbital fissure to supply the eye), trochlear (as per oculomotor), trigeminal (three main branches that pass through the superior orbital fissure, foramen rotundum and foramen ovale, respectively), abducens (as per oculomotor), facial (through stylomastoid foramen to supply muscles of facial expression), vestibulocochlear (through the internal acoustic canal to control balance and hearing), glossopharyngeal, vagus, accessory (all pass through the jugular foramen) and hypoglossal (through the hypoglossal canal to control movements of the tongue) nerves.

Autotelic Immersion - Interdependence of the Experience and Autotelic Engagement

The aim of this study is to explore the relationships between experienced immersion and autotelic engagement in computer gamers. As the tendency to act for the sake of acting or not, autotelic v/s exotelic engagement makes the gamer more or less susceptible to experiencing immersion. The interdependence of experiencing immersion and the sense of autotelic engagement corresponds to the level of autotelic immersion. Students from different university majors (N=87) participated in the study. They completed 2 questionnaires: The Immersiveness Inventory (ING) and the Engagement Questionnaire (FLOW). The results of this study indicate that the experience of autotelic immersion is enhanced by autotelic engagement, manifesting autotelic cognitive properties during computer game playing. In such cases, Interaction with the environment, Sensory Engagement, Sense of Control, balance between ability level and challenge, intrinsic rewarding, concentrating and focusing, control, feedback, and action awareness merging intertwine with each other. Strong positive correlations of interaction with the virtual environment and sense of control were observed with all dimensions of autotelic engagement: the balance between ability level and challenge, loss of the feeling of self-consciousness, clear goals, intrinsic rewarding, concentrating and focusing, control, and autotelic experience. There is a strong directly proportional relationship between autotelicity and immersion.

Purkinje cell outputs selectively inhibit a subset of unipolar brush cells in the input layer of the cerebellar cortex

Circuitry of the cerebellar cortex is regionally and functionally specialized. Unipolar brush cells (UBCs), and Purkinje cell (PC) synapses made by axon collaterals in the granular layer, are both enriched in areas that control balance and eye movement. Here, we find a link between these specializations in mice: PCs preferentially inhibit metabotropic glutamate receptor type 1 (mGluR1)-expressing UBCs that respond to mossy fiber (MF) inputs with long lasting increases in firing, but PCs do not inhibit mGluR1-lacking UBCs. PCs inhibit about 29% of mGluR1-expressing UBCs by activating GABAA receptors (GABAARs) and inhibit almost all mGluR1-expressing UBCs by activating GABAB receptors (GABABRs). PC to UBC synapses allow PC output to regulate the input layer of the cerebellar cortex in diverse ways. Based on optogenetic studies and a small number of paired recordings, GABAAR-mediated feedback is fast and unreliable. GABABR-mediated inhibition is slower and is sufficiently large to strongly influence the input-output transformations of mGluR1-expressing UBCs.

Postural and Head Control Given Different Environmental Contexts

Virtual reality allows for testing of multisensory integration for balance using portable Head Mounted Displays (HMDs). HMDs provide head kinematics data while showing a moving scene when participants are not. Are HMDs useful to investigate postural control? We used an HMD to investigate postural sway and head kinematics changes in response to auditory and visual perturbations and whether this response varies by context. We tested 25 healthy adults, and a small sample of people with diverse monaural hearing (n = 7), or unilateral vestibular dysfunction (n = 7). Participants stood naturally on a stable force-plate and looked at 2 environments via the Oculus Rift (abstract “stars;” busy “street”) with 3 visual and auditory levels (static, “low,” “high”). We quantified medio-lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) postural sway path from the center-of-pressure data and ML, AP, pitch, yaw and roll head path from the headset. We found no difference between the different combinations of “low” and “high” visuals and sounds. We then combined all perturbations data into “dynamic” and compared it to the static level. The increase in path between “static” and “dynamic” was significantly larger in the city environment for: Postural sway ML, Head ML, AP, pitch and roll. The majority of the vestibular group moved more than controls, particularly around the head, when the scenes, especially the city, were dynamic. Several patients with monaural hearing performed similar to controls whereas others, particularly older participants, performed worse. In conclusion, responses to sensory perturbations are magnified around the head. Significant differences in performance between environments support the importance of context in sensory integration. Future studies should further investigate the sensitivity of head kinematics to diagnose vestibular disorders and the implications of aging with hearing loss to postural control. Balance assessment and rehabilitation should be conducted in different environmental contexts.

Effects of a Multicomponent Exercise Program on Groups of Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Low Schooling: A Pilot Study

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of a multicomponent exercise program on the physical and hemodynamic functions of community-dwelling older adults with low schooling levels in relation to simple multicomponent group exercises. Twenty-one older people were randomly assigned to two groups: G1 (n = 11) and G2 (n = 10); sixteen of whom completed the sixteen sessions over a six-week period, three times a week. During eight sessions, G1 performed adapted dual-task multicomponent exercises (strengthening, balance, and cognition) and G2 simple multicomponent exercises (strengthening and balance), and both groups engaged in eight additional sessions of simple multicomponent exercises. The dual-task multicomponent exercises exhibited similar effects to those of their simple multicomponent counterparts. The older adults from both groups improved mobility, frailty, static postural control, balance, and hemodynamic stability. The adapted program was beneficial to the community-dwelling older people with low schooling in the group intervention.

Underlying physiological and biomechanical mechanisms related to postural control of Parkour practitioners: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: Parkour can be seen as a sport, an art, a philosophy, a state of mind, an art of living. Practitioners (known as “tracers”) have to overcome obstacles in their path by adapting their movements to the given environment to reach somewhere or something or to escape from someone or something. However, the knowledge about the underlying mechanisms related to postural control in tracers is still lacking. AIM: To examine the postural control in tracers using global, structural, and spectral stabilometric descriptors. METHOD: Five tracers and five controls, all-male, stood upright for 30 seconds, under different conditions of vision (open or closed eyes), surface (soft or rigid), and base of support (bipedal, semi-tandem, or Parkour stance). RESULTS: In more challenging conditions, the tracers compared to controls, showed a lower amount of sway, needed less postural commands, and used sensory information to control balance differently. CONCLUSION: Tracers have better postural control than controls. Moreover, although current findings are based on data from a small number of subjects, the results suggest that these differences between groups are related to different underlying physiological and biomechanical mechanisms related to postural control.

Relation of exercise capacity to comprehensive physical functions in individuals with ischemic stroke

BACKGROUND: Impaired motor control, balance, muscle strength, and respiratory function may affect the exercise capacity related to motor performance and activities in individuals with stroke. OBJECTIVE: To identify a physical parameter that the exercise capacity has the most significant relationship among physical parameters related to motor function, trunk control, balance, and motor performance and activities in individuals with ischemic stroke. METHODS: In total, 241 ischemic stroke patients were recruited in this retrospective study. The clinical measurements included the 6-minute walk test (6 MWT), Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), Fugl-Meyer assessment-lower extremity motor function (FMA-LE), trunk impairment scale (TIS), Berg balance scale (BBS), timed up and go test (TUG), 10-meter walk test (10 MWT), functional ambulation category (FAC), and functional independence measure (FIM). RESULTS: The 6 MWT was significantly correlated with the FMA-LE, BBS, TUG, 10 MWT, FAC, and FIM, indicating negative or positive moderate correlations. Additionally, the FMA-LE, TIS, BBS, TUG, 10 MWT, FAC, and FIM, excluding the 6 MWT, showed moderate to strong correlations with all of the other outcome measures, whereas the MoCA showed significant correlations only with the BBS and FIM. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the exercise capacity has the most significant relationship with the TUG parameter in stroke patients. Additionally, we suggest that significant relationships between 6 MWT and other comprehensive physical functions measurements are closely related to walking ability in individuals with stroke.