Postural control of balance under slow platform perturbations

Platforms are often used in the evaluation of the human response to perturbations. Most studies utilize platform translations at speeds well above 10 cm/s to quantify the muscle activation of balance control, but little research exists at valuating the postural response at speeds below 10 cm/s. This research evaluates the postural response to slow platform perturbations (0.25-6.0 cm/s) in an effort to identify and quantify a threshold for perturbation detection. Preliminary data indicates that a difference exists between the threshold detection for young and old subjects.