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From Optic Flow to Laws of Control

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Optic Flow and Beyond

Part of the book series: Synthese Library ((SYLI,volume 324))

Abstract

It is now established beyond a reasonable doubt that people can perceive self-motion from optic flow with sufficient accuracy to guide their locomotion. In particular, the direction of self-motion, or heading, can be judged quite accurately under a variety of conditions. However, as pointed out by Nakayama (1994), it remains controversial as to whether optic flow is actually used to control locomotor behavior. The aim of this chapter is to move beyond the perception of optic flow per se to the question of how a variety of information is used to control human locomotion on foot. We offer an interim report on an ongoing research program that seeks to determine the laws of control for steering and obstacle avoidance in a complex, dynamic environment.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cognitive & Linguistic Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    William H. Warren

  2. Department of Cognitive Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA

    Brett R. Fajen

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  1. William H. Warren
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  2. Brett R. Fajen
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Boston University and Harvard University, USA

    Lucia M. Vaina

  2. Boston University, USA

    Scott A. Beardsley

  3. Cardiff University, UK

    Simon K. Rushton

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Warren, W.H., Fajen, B.R. (2004). From Optic Flow to Laws of Control. In: Vaina, L.M., Beardsley, S.A., Rushton, S.K. (eds) Optic Flow and Beyond. Synthese Library, vol 324. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2092-6_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2092-6_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-6589-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-2092-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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