Exhibition Program

In ball games, it is necessary to move the body appropriately in reaction to a ball moving at high speed, but the mechanism of such movement is not known. In this study, we examined the brain mechanism that captures a fast moving ball in a limited time by 1) measuring the eye and body movements of professional baseball players while they were actually hitting and 2) performing basic experiments using an optical illusion. By measuring eye and body movements in a scenario close to the actual game, we succeeded in capturing the sophisticated skills used by top athletes. In basic experiments using the illusion, we clarified how the brain uses visual information to control body movements. Our goal is twofold: to uncover the implicit brain functions for vision and action and to establish a new training method to train people in techniques for optimal body control according to the situation. This will help improve the motor skills of a wide range of people, from children to the elderly, as well as top athletes.