Fully-integrated height-adjustable virtual-reality set-up

The Unversity of Ottawa is pleased to invite qualified proponents to submit a proposal for fully-integrated height-adjustable virtual-reality set-up for sensorimotor assessment and training. The overarching objective of the research program is to understand the relationship between effort overestimation, decision making, and automatic approach-avoidance tendencies toward physical inactivity. The height-adjustable virtual-reality robot is integral to the force matching paradigm at the center of this research program, as it allows for both measurement and generation of a variety of movements and forces. The real-time combination of this information allows for the movement or force applied by the participant to one handle to be applied to the other handle by the robot with (e.g., movement transformed into force) or without modifications (i.e., same force direction and intensity). The possibility to perform the task in sitting and standing positions will allow for the manipulation of energy expenditure during the task. In addition, the robot will provide multiple objective and continuous measures to characterize automatic tendencies, such as force and velocity, that complement the information provided by reaction times. Through these variables, the set-up will capture the full decision process as it unfolds. The eye tracker and force plates, fully-integrated in the robot, will allow for the measurement of anticipatory adjustments that precede upper-limb movements, providing additional insight into the processes underlying effort perception.

General Description:

The project requires a state-of-the-art 2D planar robotic system designed for studying proprioception, cognitive brain functions, and bimanual sensorimotor control and training. This robot allows both the measurement and generation of a variety of movements and forces through two handles. These handles must be made with a material that is both stiff and lightweight, allowing the precise manipulation of the forces experienced by the hands. In addition to making the force matching paradigms possible, the robot must allow for the measurement of multiple objective variables, such as reaction time, force, and velocity. The virtual-reality setup must be fully integrated such that participants view visual stimuli and execute their movements in the same horizontal plane. This is critical for interpreting experimental rersults as it avoids the participant having to map out a coordinate transformation if visual stimuli are presented in a different plane relative to movement execution (e.g., vertical and horizontal planes, respectively). The robot must have a very user-friendly interface that involves a single programming language. Because gaze and postural control are essential to understanding osensorimotor control, a remote eye tracker with sufficient accuracy and resolution must be fully integrated into the robot alongside  a force platform that includes a structure for fall prevention. The force plates are mechanical sensing systems designed to measure the ground reaction forces and moments involved in human movements that provide a measure of the postural adjustments that precede the upper-limb movements. The eye tracker must be able to measure gaze position and direction as well as pupil position and size; a valid psychophysiological marker of effort perception. 

Mandatory Requirements:

1.Height-adjustable haptic robot for upper limbs
1.1 Must allow for simultaneous right and left-hand investigation of movements in two dimensions (2D).
1.2 Must allow for the measurement of multiple objective variables, such as reaction time, force, and velocity.
1.3 Must allow for the programmation of each manipulandum’s force, position, speed and acceleration in 2D
1.4 Must have a minimum of 6 degree-of-freedom force/torque sensors in each manipulandum.
1.5 Manipulanda must be made with a material that is both stiff and lightweight
1.6 Must have an integrated virtual and augmented reality display providing two-dimension virtual targets and manipulanda position.
1.7 The display plane must be parallel to the horizontal plane in which the movements are executed.
1.8 Must have a workstation (desktop or laptop) to support the display and the robot.
1.9 Must have data acquisition hardware and software.
1.10 Must be motorized to adjust the height of one or two manipulandum to the height of participants in a sitting or standing position.
1.11 Real-time control and data acquisition must be 500 Hz or greater
1.12 Feedback resolution must be 5 microns or greater
1.13 Peak force pulse must be 50 N or greater
1.14 End-point stiffness must be 40,000 N/m or greater
1.15 Effective inertia must be 1 kg or lower in the minor and major axes
1.16 Workspace must be 70 x 40 cm or greater

2.Eye Tracker
2.1 Must be integrated within the solution. A headpiece or other peripherals (external components) will not be accepted.
2.2 Sampling rate must be at least 500 Hz.
2.3 Accuracy must be 1° or greater.
2.4 Resolution must be 0.05° RMS or greater.
2.5 Data output must include gaze position and direction as well as pupil position and size.

3. Force Platform
3.1 Must include force plates that allow for the investigation of the center of pressure under each foot.
3.2 Force plate acquisition frequency must be 100 Hz or greater.
3.3 Must include a structure for fall prevention

4.Other Requirements
4.1 Installation and training must be included.
4.2 Must be capable of providing up to a total of 5 years of warranty
4.3 The proposed solution, consisting of all hardware and software components, must be demonstrated to represent a fully integrated solution.

Bidding and Documents are available on http://www.merx.com. Fees may apply; See https://www.merx.com/public/pricing for more information.