AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

To provide the essential physiological background and knowledge of

– experimental methods

– computational tools

for the analysis of human movements, their neural correlates and other related aspects of human performance

TEACHING METHODS

Combination of lectures, exercises, guided lab activities (App Inventor)

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

•    Introduction (wk 1). Levels of description of movement: kinematic, kinetic, muscle mechanics, physiology. Overview of movement analysis techniques. Reminder of the physiological basis of movement, perception and cognition. Neuroanatomy of the sensorimotor system. Motor control theories.
•    Muscle mechanics and control (wk 2-3). Hill’s model of muscle force generation. The size principle. Muscle fatigue. Electromyography and EMG-related measures of performance.
•    Single-joint neuromechanics (wk 4). Joint kinematics, joint dynamics, agonist and antagonist muscles, the motor servo, neuromuscular viscoelasticity.
•    Multi-joint movements (wk 5-6). Kinematics: trajectories, joint rotations, forward and inverse kinematics, Jacobians. Dynamics: equations of motion of kinematic chains,  mechanical impedance. Examples: arm movements and manipulation; orofacial control.
•    Computational motor control (wk 7-8). Trajectory formation. Dynamics control. Multisensory integration and Sensorimotor integration. Feedforward and feedback control modalities.
•    Motor learning (wk 9-10). Sensorimotor adaptation to kinematic/dynamic disturbances. Computational models of adaptation. Motor skill learning. Computational models of skill learning
•    Movement kinetics (wk 11-12). Case studies in locomotion: gait, running, cycling, swimming. Energy-related performance measurements: metabolic energy consumption.
•    App Design Lab (lab activity). Four guided lab activities plus individual project work

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

VITTORIO SANGUINETI (President)

MAURA CASADIO

MARCO MASSIMO FATO

LESSONS

Class schedule

MOTOR CONTROL AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

EXAMS

ASSESSMENT METHODS

•    Written examination (weight 50%)
•    Project work (individuals or couples, weight 50%):  using App Inventor, develop a smartphone/tablet app for monitoring some form of user’s perceptual or motor performance

Exam schedule