Abstract
Two experiments measured the human ability to reproduce locomotor distances of 4.6–100 m without visual feedback and compared distance production with time production. Subjects were not permitted to count steps. It was found that the precision of human odometry follows Weber’s law that variability is proportional to distance. The coefficients of variation for distance production were much lower than those measured for time production for similar durations. Gait parameters recorded during the task (average step length and step frequency) were found to be even less variable suggesting that step integration could be the basis for non-visual human odometry.
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Acknowledgments
Mikio Akagi was supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Research supported by a Swarthmore College Faculty Research Grant and Lang Sabbatical Award to FHD.
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Durgin, F.H., Akagi, M., Gallistel, C.R. et al. The precision of locomotor odometry in humans. Exp Brain Res 193, 429–436 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-008-1640-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-008-1640-1