Foster, RJ, Buckley, JG, Whitaker, D and Elliott, DB, 2016. The addition of stripes (a version of the 'horizontal-vertical illusion') increases foot clearance when crossing low-height obstacles. Ergonomics, 59 (7), pp. 884-889. ISSN 0014-0139
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Abstract
Trips over obstacles are one of the main causes of falling in older adults, with vision playing an important role in successful obstacle negotiation. We determined whether a horizontal-vertical illusion, superimposed onto low-height obstacles to create a perceived increase in obstacle height, increased foot clearances during obstacle negotiation thus reducing the likelihood of tripping. Eleven adults (mean±1SD: age 27.3±5.1 years) negotiated obstacles of varying heights (3, 5, 7 cm) with four different appearance conditions; two were obstacles with a horizontal-vertical illusion (vertical stripes of different thickness) superimposed on the front, one was a plain obstacle and the fourth a plain obstacle with a horizontal black line painted on the top-edge. Foot clearance parameters were compared across conditions. Both illusions led to a significant increase in foot clearance when crossing the obstacle, compared to the plain condition, irrespective of obstacle height. Superimposing a horizontal-vertical illusion onto low-height obstacles can increase foot clearance and its use on the floor-section of a double-glazing door frame for example, may reduce the incidence of tripping in the home.
Item Type: | Journal article |
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Publication Title: | Ergonomics |
Creators: | Foster, R.J., Buckley, J.G., Whitaker, D. and Elliott, D.B. |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Date: | 2016 |
Volume: | 59 |
Number: | 7 |
ISSN: | 0014-0139 |
Identifiers: | Number Type 10.1080/00140139.2015.1105304 DOI |
Divisions: | Schools > School of Science and Technology |
Record created by: | Jonathan Gallacher |
Date Added: | 12 Nov 2015 17:05 |
Last Modified: | 30 Mar 2017 10:43 |
URI: | https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/26295 |
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