Research

The STRIDE Lab investigates how visual perception, personal characteristics, and adaptive strategies interact to support human locomotion. Our mission is to advance knowledge of visuo-locomotor control across diverse populations and contexts, with the goal of promoting safe, efficient, and inclusive mobility. We combine wearable eye tracking, motion capture, virtual reality, and other biomechanical tools to explore how people perceive, plan, and execute movement in both real and simulated environments. Through this work, we aim to inform the design of supportive environments and develop evidence-based strategies that enhance mobility across the lifespan.

Research Themes

Navigation & Adaptive Locomotor Strategies

We explore how people navigate complex environments to maintain safety and sucessfully avoid collisions with other pedestrians and obstacles. This includes studying obstacle circumvention, stepping behaviour, path selection, and gait adaptation across a variety of contexts. By examining strategies used by athletes, older adults, wheelchair users, and other populations, we identify principles of adaptive locomotion that inform inclusive design and rehabilitation practices.

Visual Information & Perception in Locomotion

We study how people gather and use visual information to guide movement. This research helps us understand how individuals direct their attention, anticipate obstacles, and plan routes in dynamic settings. By capturing eye movements and linking them to locomotor patterns, we uncover the visual strategies that underpin safe and adaptive navigation.

Individuals' Affordances &
Self-Perception

Our work examines how personal characteristics and perceived capabilities shape locomotor decisions. We are particularly interested in how factors like body morphology, ability status, age, and transient conditions—such as pregnancy—affect the way people assess action possibilities and adjust their behaviour. This research provides insights into how individuals interpret their environment in relation to their own bodies.

Populations & Contexts

Our research spans a wide range of populations to understand how mobility evolves and adapts across the lifespan and ability spectrum. We study:

Older adults navigating real-world and virtual environments
Athletes performing in sport-specific and daily contexts
Wheelchair users and individuals with mobility impairments
Individuals experiencing changes in body morphology, such as pregnancy

By examining these diverse groups, we aim to identify both universal strategies and population-specific adaptations that support effective navigation.

Methods & Approaches

STRIDE Lab integrates multiple advanced approaches to capture the complexity of human movement. These tools allow us to study real-world mobility with scientific precision. We use:

Wearable eye tracking systems to record visual behaviour in real time
3D motion capture to quantify kinematics and spatiotemporal gait parameters
Virtual reality environments to simulate dynamic and unpredictable contexts
Accelerometers to measure movement dynamics, activity levels, and gait variability

Current Projects

Our ongoing studies address questions such as:

How do athletes use visual strategies to anticipate and avoid obstacles during rapid movement?
In what ways does aging impact gaze behaviour and locomotor planning?
How does pregnancy influence perceptions of affordances and stepping adaptations?
What navigation strategies do wheelchair users employ in complex environments?

Through these projects, we aim to translate research into actionable insights for training, rehabilitation, and environmental design.

Funding Sources

Research in the STRIDE Lab is supported by internal and external funding sources. We gratefully acknowledge support from:

Cape Breton University (e.g., CBU SURG Grant)
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
Invest Nova Scotia (Productivity and Innovation Voucher Program)

We also collaborate with community partners, research networks, and industry stakeholders to support applied research, student training, and knowledge translation.

Move | Perceive | Assess

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