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The addition of stripes (a version of the ‘horizontal-vertical illusion’) increases foot clearance when crossing low-height obstacles
Foster, Richard J. Whitaker, David J.
Foster, Richard J.
Whitaker, David J.
Publication Date
2016
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© 2015 Taylor & Francis. This is an Author's Original Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Ergonomics in 2015, available online at http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00140139.2015.1105304
Peer-Reviewed
Yes
Open Access status
openAccess
Accepted for publication
2015-10-01
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Abstract
Trips over obstacles are one of the main causes of falling in older adults, with vision playing an important role in successful obstacle negotiation. We determined whether a horizontal-vertical illusion, superimposed onto low-height obstacles to create a perceived increase in obstacle height, increased foot clearances during obstacle negotiation thus reducing the likelihood of tripping. Eleven adults (mean ± 1 SD: age 27.3 ± 5.1 years) negotiated obstacles of varying heights (3, 5, 7 cm) with four different appearance conditions; two were obstacles with a horizontal-vertical illusion (vertical stripes of different thickness) superimposed on the front, one was a plain obstacle and the fourth a plain obstacle with a horizontal black line painted on the top edge. Foot clearance parameters were compared across conditions. Both illusions led to a significant increase in foot clearance when crossing the obstacle, compared to the plain condition, irrespective of obstacle height. Superimposing a horizontal-vertical illusion onto low-height obstacles can increase foot clearance, and its use on the floor section of a double-glazing door frame for example may reduce the incidence of tripping in the home.
Version
Accepted manuscript
Citation
Foster RJ, Buckley JG, Whitaker D and Elliott DB (2016) The addition of stripes (a version of the ‘horizontal-vertical illusion’) increases foot clearance when crossing low-height obstacles, Ergonomics. 59(7): 884-889.
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Article