Slackline Research Project

This documentation is a knowledge-base for the ongoing HuMon Research Lab study on slacklining. The study is using markerless motion capture data of slacklining to study neural control during a difficult balance task. It differs from prior research by studying the types of slacklines commonly used in the sport, rather than very short labratory models.

Inspired by research into balance in bipedal walking, we use the model of a linear inverted pendulum. This a virtual line from the standing foot to the center of mass. We are looking at slacklining as a task of balancing this inverted pendulum, which is being pulled down and over by gravity whenever it is not perfectly vertical. The springy slackline moves back and forth underfoot as the slackliner uses their arms to exert a force on the pendulum.