Eye-hand coordination

• Doug Crawford, Canadian Action and Perception Network, York Centre for Vision Research

Dr. Doug Crawford accepted the invitation on 19 September 2011

Eye-hand coordination refers to the spatiotemporal coordination of vision, eye movements, and hand motion in behaviors such as reaching and object manipulation. Eye-hand coordination (or hand-eye coordination) is often only noticed at its extremes, e.g., in elite athletes, or when mishaps occur. In some situations, like military combat or even steering a vehicle on the highway, small errors in eye-hand coordination might mean life or death. However, proficient eye-hand coordination is equally essential for a large proportion of prosaic daily activities at work, home, and play - from grasping the morning coffee to the use of hand-held communication devices and video games. Despite this familiarity, the mechanisms of eye-hand coordination are incredibly complex, involving advanced physics, several perceptual, cognitive, and motor systems, and many diffferent components of the nervous system.

Structural & Physical Aspects

Sensory Organs

• The Eyes
• Other Sensory Apparatus.

Skeletomuscular Components

• The Head
• The Arm
• The Hand

Clinical Implications

Sponsored by: Prof. Daniel Wolpert, University of Cambridge, UK