Environmental Engineering Reference
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most problematic. Difficulty with cursor control is also named as a top complaint among
older individuals (Hawthorn, 2001; Hawthorn, 2007). It has also been shown that
performance within a standard computer interface is slower and results in a greater number
of errors with increased age of the operator. These specific limitations point to the need to
develop new interfaces that capitalize on natural manipulation, thereby eliminating
difficulties with the functional abstraction of input devices.
Contrary to standard computer interface systems, little is known about the age-related
variance of HCI within three-dimensional virtual environments. The literature in this subject
area is nearly non-existent. There is some evidence of age-related differences in performance
between children and adults, as well as young adults and older participants. This research
indicates relevant disparities in reactions to environmental immersion, usage of various
input devices, size estimation ability, navigational skills and completion time for gross
motor tasks (Allen et al., 2000). According to these authors, “these results highlight the
importance of considering age differences when designing for the population at large.”
Currently, the International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors (Karwowski,
2006) leaves the explanation of age-related differences in virtual environments to a short,
two sentence description recommending that equipment be tailored to physically fit the
smaller frames of children, and for designers to take into consideration the changes in
sensory and motor functions of the elderly. Other than these works, very little specific
knowledge regarding age and motor control in virtual environments has been elicited
through research, especially as it relates to precision movements with the upper extremities.
This fact has led us to begin a series of experiments investigating the use of vision for
precise sensorimotor control of the upper extremity in virtual environments, and how that
usage changes as a function of age.
3. Research methods, design, and results
In the next sections, we describe the specific methodology used in our lab, followed by a
brief review of the most recent findings.
3.1 Physical apparatus
For our research, we utilize a tabletop virtual environment located in the Human Motor
Behavior laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Figure 1). This system has
been used in a number of studies investigating the role of visual feedback for upper
extremity movement in young adults, as well as the first phase of data collection on subjects
across the lifespan. This single-user VE is specifically designed to permit detailed and highly
accurate kinematic measurements of human performance. Paradigms from the Human
Motor Control and Biomechanics disciplines are used to provide detailed descriptions of
human movement and to make inferences about the cognitive processes controlling those
movements. More recently, our research has focused on how these processes change
throughout the lifespan. Our virtual environment has been designed to focus on natural
manipulation, allowing users to employ their hands to manipulate and explore augmented
objects located within the desktop environment (i.e. Tangible user interface or TUI)
(MacLean, 1996; Mason & MacKenzie, 2002; Mason et al., 2001; Sturman & Zeltzer, 1993; Y.
Wang & MacKenzie, 2000).
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