Human Walking in Virtual Environments

Human Walking in Virtual Environments PDF

Author: Frank Steinicke

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-05-15

Total Pages: 405

ISBN-13: 1441984321

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This book presents a survey of past and recent developments on human walking in virtual environments with an emphasis on human self-motion perception, the multisensory nature of experiences of walking, conceptual design approaches, current technologies, and applications. The use of Virtual Reality and movement simulation systems is becoming increasingly popular and more accessible to a wide variety of research fields and applications. While, in the past, simulation technologies have focused on developing realistic, interactive visual environments, it is becoming increasingly obvious that our everyday interactions are highly multisensory. Therefore, investigators are beginning to understand the critical importance of developing and validating locomotor interfaces that can allow for realistic, natural behaviours. The book aims to present an overview of what is currently understood about human perception and performance when moving in virtual environments and to situate it relative to the broader scientific and engineering literature on human locomotion and locomotion interfaces. The contents include scientific background and recent empirical findings related to biomechanics, self-motion perception, and physical interactions. The book also discusses conceptual approaches to multimodal sensing, display systems, and interaction for walking in real and virtual environments. Finally, it will present current and emerging applications in areas such as gait and posture rehabilitation, gaming, sports, and architectural design.

First Steps

First Steps PDF

Author: Jeremy DeSilva

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2021-04-06

Total Pages: 389

ISBN-13: 0062938517

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Winner of the W.W. Howells Book Prize from the American Anthropological Association and named one of the best science books of 2021 by Science News “DeSilva takes us on a brilliant, fun, and scientifically deep stroll through history, anatomy, and evolution, in order to illustrate the powerful story of how a particular mode of movement helped make us one of the most wonderful, dangerous and fascinating species on Earth.”—Agustín Fuentes, Professor of Anthropology, Princeton University and author of Why We Believe: Evolution and the Human Way of Being “Breezy popular science at its best. . . . Makes a compelling case overall.”—Science News Blending history, science, and culture, a stunning and highly engaging evolutionary story exploring how walking on two legs allowed humans to become the planet’s dominant species. Humans are the only mammals to walk on two, rather than four legs—a locomotion known as bipedalism. We strive to be upstanding citizens, honor those who stand tall and proud, and take a stand against injustices. We follow in each other’s footsteps and celebrate a child’s beginning to walk. But why, and how, exactly, did we take our first steps? And at what cost? Bipedalism has its drawbacks: giving birth is more difficult and dangerous; our running speed is much slower than other animals; and we suffer a variety of ailments, from hernias to sinus problems. In First Steps, paleoanthropologist Jeremy DeSilva explores how unusual and extraordinary this seemingly ordinary ability is. A seven-million-year journey to the very origins of the human lineage, First Steps shows how upright walking was a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us human—from our technological abilities, our thirst for exploration, our use of language–and may have laid the foundation for our species’ traits of compassion, empathy, and altruism. Moving from developmental psychology labs to ancient fossil sites throughout Africa and Eurasia, DeSilva brings to life our adventure walking on two legs. Delving deeply into the story of our past and the new discoveries rewriting our understanding of human evolution, First Steps examines how walking upright helped us rise above all over species on this planet. First Steps includes an eight-page color photo insert.

From Biped to Strider

From Biped to Strider PDF

Author: D. Jeffrey Meldrum

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2011-06-27

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 144198965X

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The inspiration for this volume of contributed papers stemmed from conversations between the editors in front of Chuck Hilton's poster on the determinants of hominid walking speed, presented at thel998 meetings of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA). Earlier at those meetings, Jeff Meldrum (with Roshna Wunderlich) had presented an alternate interpretation of the Laetoli footprints based on evidence of midfoot flexibility. As the discussion ensued we found convergence on a number of ideas about the nature of the evolution of modem human walking. From the continuation of that dialogue grew the proposal for a symposium which we called From Biped to Strider: the Emergence of Modem Human Walking. The symposium was held as a session of the 69th annual meeting of the AAPA, held in San Antonio, Texas in 2000. It seemed to us that the study of human bipedalism had become overshadowed by theoften polarized debates over whether australo pithecines were wholly terrestrial in habit, or retained a significant degree of arboreality.

Walking Methodologies in a More-than-human World

Walking Methodologies in a More-than-human World PDF

Author: Stephanie Springgay

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-12-22

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 1351866486

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As a research methodology, walking has a diverse and extensive history in the social sciences and humanities, underscoring its value for conducting research that is situated, relational, and material. Building on the importance of place, sensory inquiry, embodiment, and rhythm within walking research, this book offers four new concepts for walking methodologies that are accountable to an ethics and politics of the more-than-human: Land and geos, affect, transmaterial and movement. The book carefully considers the more-than-human dimensions of walking methodologies by engaging with feminist new materialisms, posthumanisms, affect theory, trans and queer theory, Indigenous theories, and critical race and disability scholarship. These more-than-human theories rub frictionally against the history of walking scholarship and offer crucial insights into the potential of walking as a qualitative research methodology in a more-than-human world. Theoretically innovative, the book is grounded in examples of walking research by WalkingLab, an international research network on walking (www.walkinglab.org). The book is rich in scope, engaging with a wide range of walking methods and forms including: long walks on hiking trails, geological walks, sensory walks, sonic art walks, processions, orienteering races, protest and activist walks, walking tours, dérives, peripatetic mapping, school-based walking projects, and propositional walks. The chapters draw on WalkingLab’s research-creation events to examine walking in relation to settler colonialism, affective labour, transspecies, participation, racial geographies and counter-cartographies, youth literacy, environmental education, and collaborative writing. The book outlines how more-than-human theories can influence and shape walking methodologies and provokes a critical mode of walking-with that engenders solidarity, accountability, and response-ability. This volume will appeal to graduate students, artists, and academics and researchers who are interested in Education, Cultural Studies, Queer Studies, Affect Studies, Geography, Anthropology, and (Post)Qualitative Research Methods.

Human Walking

Human Walking PDF

Author: Jessica Rose

Publisher:

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 9780781759540

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Features contributions from experts involved in the study, assessment, and treatment of gait disorders, including physical medicine and rehabilitation, orthopaedics, and more. This book covers: evolution of human walking; adaptation in pregnancy, aging, and alcoholism; walking for health; simulation of gait; and ten lessons about walking.

A Walk in the Physical

A Walk in the Physical PDF

Author: Christian Sundberg

Publisher: Christian Sundberg

Published: 2021-06-18

Total Pages: 361

ISBN-13: 1737197014

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You existed before your human experience, and you will exist after. Drawing from his unique pre-birth memories, Christian Sundberg provides an encouraging framework for understanding the nature of the human experience within the larger spiritual context. A Walk in the Physical is a non-linear reality model that boils down the very vast into succinct accessible language. More than a set of ideas though, it is a tool meant to point you towards the portion of yourself that already exists right now beyond Earth. At the heart of the book is the theme of love, and it describes why authentic love – even in small matters – is so deeply important to our human journey.

Walking Your Human

Walking Your Human PDF

Author: Liz Ledden

Publisher:

Published: 2021-02

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780648894520

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"Have you ever wondered what your dog is thinking? It turns out they know just what humans want - to be walked! And once they're on their way, these dogs will share exactly how to do it.Walking Your Human is a light-hearted look at the very different ideas dogs and humans have about what makes for a good walk. Readers and their dogs will howl with laughter at this hilarious story with colourful illustrations and memorable characters."