Researchers ran a four-day experiment with nine able-bodied participants. Each person walked on a treadmill while wearing a robotic prosthetic with the knee bent at a right angle. They were told to walk as quickly as possible and not touch the handrails.
After each practice session, participants watched computer animations of different walking gaits and chose the one that matched their recent walk. Performance improved over the four days, but people’s perceptions changed: first they judged their walk as off-balance and stilted, and later they judged it as more fluid. The team suggests giving visual or other feedback to help training and to prevent overconfidence.
Difficult words
- experiment — a test to learn or measure something
- prosthetic — an artificial body part people use
- gait — the way a person walks or movesgaits
- perception — the way someone understands or feelsperceptions
- feedback — information to help improve or learn
- overconfidence — too much trust in one's own ability
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Would you try walking with a prosthetic on a treadmill? Why or why not?
- How could visual feedback help someone learning a new walk?
- Have you ever changed your opinion about your performance after practice?
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