Institut des sciences du mouvement - Etienne-Jules Marey (ISM)

Alors que les JO de Paris approchent à grands pas, tous les athlètes s'entraînent pour grappiller encore quelques millimètres ou quelques centièmes de seconde. C'est là que la science peut entrer en jeu : analyses ultra-poussées, équipements de pointe ou environnements en réalité virtuelle, ce nouvel épisode de VaSavoir vous emmène à l'Institut des sciences du mouvement, à Marseille, où les chercheurs tentent d'améliorer les performances des plus grands athlètes... comme des sportifs du…

How can the performance of a hexapod robot be optimised by improving both its energy autonomy and its movements? By copying the structure and arrangement of insect legs! The ISM robotics laboratory in Marseille (CNRS, Aix-Marseille University) has developed biomimetic legs designed in 3D for their AntBot robot. A robot already inspired by the desert ant in order to find its way without GPS...

Using Nature as a model for better robots? A team of bioroboticists in the South of France have created, for the first time, an autonomous six-legged robot able to—without using GPS—find its way back to its nest using navigation skills inspired by Cataglyphis, the desert ant.

For amputees, controlling a robotic prosthesis is far from a perfect solution. It can take months of training before they can perform basic day-to-day operations. In France, a team of researchers, engineers and medical doctors are developing a more natural method for controlling such a prosthesis using a phenomenon known as phantom limb sensation.

The Youtube channel Zeste de science explores all aspects of scientific research, proving that even the most complicated scientific facts can be explained in less than 5 minutes, and that even the most seemingly trivial events of everyday life, if thoroughly studied, can contribute to the biggest technological advances. Episode 3: Unlike vertebrates, flies get their bearings thanks to their eyesight only and do not sense gravity. Scientists in Marseille have carried out a…

If our five “classical” senses exist to help us sound our environment, our sixth sense has more to do with the inside of our body. In this video, discover the latest research on proprioception, the sense of balance, of relative position and of agility, which plays a fundamental role in all our movements, whether for turning off an alarm clock in the morning, or for successfully making a free throw during a basketball game. The results of these studies could also help people with disorders that…

Phobias are common anxiety disorders which may heavily impact the quality of life of affected people. At the Institute of movement in Marseille, researchers are working on demonstrating the benefits of virtual reality in the treatment of these excessive fears. For a long time, physicians have been using behavioural and cognitive approaches to treat phobias. The principle used here is to expose patients gradually to phobogenic stimulation. However, in the case of some spatial phobias, anxiety…