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Using a smartphone on the move: do visual constraints explain why we slow walking speed?

Rubio Barañano, Alejandro
; ; 
Barrett, Brendan T.
; 
Publication Date
2021
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Keywords
Smart-phone, Reading performance, Head motion, Vision, Walking, Research Development Fund Publication Prize Award
Rights
(c) 2021 The Authors. This is an Open Access article distributed under the Creative Commons CC-BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
cb
Peer-Reviewed
Yes
Open Access status
openAccess
Accepted for publication
2021-10-29
Institution
Department
Awarded
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Life Sciences Publications
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Abstract
Viewing one’s smartphone whilst walking commonly leads to a slowing of walking. Slowing walking-speed may occur because of safety concerns or because of visual constraints. We determine how walking-induced phone motion affects the ability to read on-screen information. Phone-reading performance (PRP) was assessed whilst participants walked on a treadmill at various speeds. The fastest speed was repeated, wearing an elbow-brace (Braced) or with the phone mounted stationary (Fixed). An audible cue (‘text-alert’), indicated participants had 2 seconds to lift/view the phone and read aloud a series of digits. PRP was the number of digits read correctly. Each condition was repeated 5 times. 3D-motion analyses determined phone-motion relative to the head, from which the variability in acceleration in viewing distance, and in the gaze angles in the up-down and right-left directions were assessed. A main-effect of condition indicated PRP decreased with walking speed; particularly so for the Braced and Fixed conditions (p=0.022). Walking condition also affected the phone’s relative motion (p
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10454/18641
Version
Published version
Citation
Rubio Barañano A, Faisal M, Barrett BT and Buckley JG (2021) Using a smartphone on the move: do visual constraints explain why we slow walking speed? Experimental Brain Research. Accepted for publication.
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Link to published version
Link to Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-021-06267-6
Type
Article
Qualification name
Notes
Research Development Fund Publication Prize Award winner, Oct 2021.