CAREER: An Integrated Approach to Research on Collision Control

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT Gray -- 0239657 CAREER Award Each time a driver steps on the brakes he uses visual information in a strategy to avoid a collision. Each time a baseball player hits a ball she uses visual information in a strategy to create a collision. That seems obvious enough, but it is not obvious what visual information people use or how they use it to control their behavior. With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Robert Gray's program of research and education investigates the problem of collisions with approaching objects-how people avoid collisions and how people make them happen. Dr. Gray's approach uses realistic, three-dimensional simulations of potential collisions in conjunction with real-time recording of the person in motion. This creative approach explores several issues including how control of the body utilizes different sources of visual information, how control changes between younger and older individuals, and how control is adapted to particular situations and environments. Some broader impacts of the funded work include the development of a Perception and Action curriculum at Arizona State University's East Campus, research opportunities for undergraduate students, and progress in the important applied area of transportation safety.