AJ Jansen¹, Brett Fajen; ¹Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Humans perform many locomotor tasks that require swiftly navigating through cluttered environments. To move smoothly through multiple waypoints, actors must maintain the possibility of task success, which is constrained by their action capabilities. In a previous study, we found that when subjects steer through multiple waypoints, they adapt their approach trajectory to the most immediate waypoint (WP_N) in a way that depends on the position of WP_N+1. Specifically, they initially veer away from WP_N in a direction opposite WP_N+1 before turning back, allowing for a smoother trajectory through the series of waypoints. Importantly, such anticipatory steering behavior was more exaggerated when the subject’s vehicle was sluggish compared to when it was agile. The present study explored the ability of subjects to recalibrate to changes in action capabilities. Subjects used a game controller to steer a drone through a series of three gates in a virtual environment viewed on a monitor. Two gates were at a fixed distance on the centerline, and the third at a variable distance and angle. The experiment comprised 11 blocks of 18 trials and drone dynamics were manipulated across blocks. The drone was sluggish for Blocks 1-5, gradually transitioned to agile in Block 6, and remained agile for Blocks 7-11. Although subjects seemed unaware of the change in drone dynamics, they adapted their steering behavior following the change, gradually generating more direct trajectories to Gate 2 over blocks. The findings suggest that humans are sensitive to changes in their action capabilities and adapt their behavior to maintain the possibility of task success in accordance with affordance-based control. The study provides a clearer understanding of how and under what conditions humans adapt their movements in anticipation of future goals and informs the development of control strategies for steering through multiple waypoints.

Acknowledgements: NSF 2218220