Research Collection

Journal Article

Total control in and robotics

Author(s): Blanke, Olaf; Gassert, Roger

Publication Date: 2009-05

Permanent Link: https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000066733

Rights / License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

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ETH Library Total control in Virtual Reality and Robotics By Olaf Blanke and Roger Gassert

Recent developments in virtual reality (VR) tage over more classical phobia treatments is and robotics are opening novel technol- the well-controlled, unlimited, and system- Olaf Blanke’s research focuses on cognitive and systems and the role of sen- ogy and neuroscience-inspired avenues for atic exposure of humans to fearful objects, sory, motor and cognitive mechanisms in self- human enhancement of sensorimotor and situations, and control stimuli. VR has also . His work relies on the investi- cognitive function. VR integrates real-time been used to study the interaction with gation of healthy subjects as well as computer graphics, sounds, and other sen- virtual humans, especially in social phobia neurological patients combining psychophys- sory inputs to create a computer-generated patients with intense and persistent fear of ical and cognitive paradigms with state of the world with which humans can interact. social performance situations (Klinger et al., art techniques such as intracra- nial EEG, surface high-resolution EEG, and Virtual environments are generally presented 2005). Yet, the efficacy of VR with respect to functional MRI. His most recent research on on large projection screens, head-mounted clinical treatments needs further investiga- bodily self-consciousness has integrated full- displays, or other devices including sound tion. The application of VR to neuroscience body tracking and other technologies from the systems. The recent addition of robotics in is likely to have great potential, as this allows field of virtual reality with cognitive science the form of haptic interfaces allows dynamic linking principles from psychophysics and and neuroimaging. Olaf Blanke is Professor of physical interaction with remote, virtual, and cognitive psychology (Sanchez-Vives and at the Ecole Polytech- augmented real objects and humans. Slater, 2005; Tarr and Warren, 2002) with nique Fédérale de Lausanne and the Univer- sity Hospital of Geneva, [http:// VR has already played an important role neuroimaging in ecologically valid and com- lnco.epfl.ch]. Olaf Blanke and Roger Gassert in augmenting cognition and influencing plex experimental conditions. collaborate on the integration of cognition, anxiety and specific phobias such as acro- The power of VR in neuroscience was neuroscience, robotics, and virtual reality. phobia and arachnophobia. A crucial advan- recently demonstrated integrating not [email protected]

110 | May 2009 | Volume 3 | Issue 1 www.frontiersin.org only objects, scenes, or other people, but potential. This result may sound like science also the participant’s own body in the VR fiction, but the joining of VR, robotics, and environment (Lenggenhager et al., 2007; systems neuroscience is already an emerging Slater et al., 2008). Using principles from reality for the enhancement and manipula- cognitive psychology, this work amalga- tion of sensorimotor and cognitive neural mated the body of the user with his (or mechanisms. any other) virtual body resulting in more Who would reasonably deny usage of a powerful states of immersion. Projects of motor performance enhancement drug for merging high-resolution EEG with such stroke patients, or a memory enhancer for experimental VR setups are currently patients with Alzheimer’s disease? The same under way to unravel the associated brain reasoning does not seem to apply to the aug- mechanisms. We believe that such com- mentation of mood, attention, memory, plete, controlled, repeatable, and predicta- and motor performance in healthy indi- ble immersion of the user in virtual worlds viduals (Farah, 2002). We do not address will allow usage of VR-based enhancement the impact or ethical dilemmas raised by VR to the full potential in health, disease, and and robotics-based enhancement, but are technology. well aware that such procedures may raise Bringing robotics into the equation a number of unprecedented issues. promises further improvements in experi- mental control over virtual environments, by allowing dynamic physical interaction References with augmented real and virtual objects and Andersen, R. A., Burdick, J. W., Musallam, S., humans. The emerging field of neuroscience Pesaran, B., & Cham, J. G. (2004). Cognitive neural prosthetics. Trends Cogn Sci, 8(11), 486-493. robotics combines these technologies with deCharms, R. C. (2008). Applications of real-time functional brain imaging modalities such fMRI. Nat Rev Neurosci, 9(9), 720-729. as fMRI (Gassert et al., 2006). This com- Farah, M. J. (2002). Emerging ethical issues in bination promises the ability to assess and neuroscience. Nat Neurosci, 5(11), 1123-1129. manipulate bodily states of the user while Gassert, R., Moser, R., Burdet, E., & Bleuler, measuring the associated brain activity. H. (2006). MRI/fMRI-compatible robotic system Neuroscience robotics are already a power- with force feedback for interaction with human motion. Mechatronics, IEEE/ASME Transactions ful tool in defining the neural mechanisms on, 11(2), 216-224. of human sensorimotor control and guide Klinger, E., Bouchard, S., Legeron, P., Roy, S., diagnosis, assessment, and rehabilitation of Lauer, F., Chemin, I., et al. (2005). Virtual reality motor function (Takahashi et al., 2008). The therapy versus cognitive behavior therapy for Roger Gassert’s research interests are in reha- same technology will allow measurement of social phobia: a preliminary controlled study. bilitation- and medical robotics, haptics, assis- cortical reorganization while healthy sub- Cyberpsychol Behav, 8(1), 76-88. tive technology and neuroscience. Using a Lenggenhager, B., Tadi, T., Metzinger, T., & jects perform procedures for sensorimotor combined approach of robotics, psychophysics Blanke, O. (2007). Video ergo sum: manipulating and cognitive neuroscience, his group develops and cognitive enhancement using multi- bodily self-consciousness. Science, 317(5841), and clinically evaluates robotic systems to train modal feedback. 1096-1099. hand function after stroke, and explores the We hope that the knowledge gained Sanchez-Vives, M. V., & Slater, M. (2005). From neural mechanisms of human sensorimotor from such studies will pave the way toward presence to consciousness through virtual reality. control and their reorganization with age and user- and patient-specific enhancement and Nat Rev Neurosci, 6(4), 332-339. after focal brain injury. His work lead to the first treatment protocols, specifically stimulat- Slater, M., Perez-Marcos, D., Ehrsson, H. H., fMRI-compatible haptic interfaces allowing & Sanchez-Vives, M. V. (2008). Towards a safe and gentle interaction with human motion ing preserved functions and brain areas for digital body: the virtual arm illusion. Front Hum during functional MRI. Roger Gassert is an As- faster and longer-lasting enhancement and Neurosci, 2, 6. sistant Professor of Rehabilitation Engineering recovery. The behavioral and neural sig- Takahashi, C. D., Der-Yeghiaian, L., Le, V., at ETH Zürich, and Academic Visitor at the Ecole nals need to be analyzed, manipulated, and Motiwala, R. R., & Cramer, S. C. (2008). Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and Impe- interfaced, ideally non-invasively, and in Robot-based hand motor therapy after stroke. rial College London [www.relab.ethz.ch/]. Brain, 131(Pt 2), 425-437. Roger Gassert and Olaf Blanke collaborate on real-time so that subjects and machines can interact in entirely novel ways (Andersen et Tarr, M. J., & Warren, W. H. (2002). Virtual the integration of cognition, neuroscience, ro- reality in behavioral neuroscience and beyond. botics, and virtual reality. al., 2004; deCharms, 2008) to bring sensori- Nat Neurosci, 5 Suppl, 1089-1092. [email protected] motor and cognitive enhancement to its full

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