How software and control technology contribute to greater insight

Curious about the vestibular chair and speaker arm in practice? See how advanced they spin around a test subject? Join us at Radboud University's lab and discover in our vlog how technology provides the basis for greater understanding of the brain. Buckle up.

The more grip we get on how the brain works, the more widely we can apply those insights. Snandan, neuroscientist Donders Institute, explains; think about people who use hearing aids and so-called cochlear implants. "More insight into sound perception can improve the functioning of such devices," he says. And what about more knowledge of the balance organ and visual perception, which the research in Nijmegen is also focusing on? According to Snandan, it can contribute to, correct and, above all, provide a timely diagnosis of, for example, the muscle disease MS.

"People with MS have difficulty moving the eyes smoothly. Currently, a doctor often passes in front of someone's eyes with a raised index finger. If the person follows the movement smoothly, it looks like the person has nothing wrong and the doctor may not notice an early stage of MS. With new insights, we can reduce the risk of misdiagnosis."

Prior to this collaboration, they were already working with a vestibular chair at the institute. "That one did work," says Günter, "although I was never completely satisfied with it from a technical point of view. Adjustments were quite laborious." Therefore, a new chair was chosen, for which Günter very deliberately looked for an industrial design. "A component such as a PLC would allow us to replace it quickly. And I also told that to the team at Panasonic during an industrial fair, which was able to supply me with the necessary hardware. But what pleased me most was the offer of technical support. During that trade fair, we only found that at Panasonic. And it was precisely this support that we were looking for, if we wanted the new vestibular chair to function properly."

Of course, the experiments must be as safe as possible. The European Machinery Directive is the starting point, and there is detection in several places. These include the entrance gates, which prevent anyone from walking into the dark test room during an experiment. In addition, both test rooms contain an emergency stop, although the researchers obviously prefer to stop the machines more comfortably. Because, Snandan notes, the entire process must run smoothly in addition to being safe. "An experiment takes about three hours. We want to avoid people looking back on that with little pleasure."

Ultimately, it is up to the researcher to arrive at the required data with the machines. Whereby the same data should be as complete and detailed as possible, including data on the status of the machine during the experiment. When exactly did the chair start spinning, for example? Such information was unclear until recently, although it is important for a correct interpretation of the experiment. "That's why we added an extra synchronisation pulse," Roy explains. "Adjustment of the software leads to an even better output."

Günter: "In the end, everything is about visibility into the latest possibilities. About the knowledge to connect all those parts together and get them working. We find all that at Panasonic Industry. The way we work together: it has brought us a lot in recent years."

Read more about the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour.