Eye-head stabilization mechanism for a humanoid robot tested on human inertial data

Two main classes of reflexes relying on the vestibular system are involved in the stabilization of the human gaze: the vestibulocollic reflex (VCR), which stabilizes the head in space and the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), which stabilizes the visual axis to minimize retinal image motion. Together they keep the image stationary on the retina. In this work we present the first complete model of eye-head stabilization based on the coordination of VCR and VOR. The model is provided with learning and adaptation capabilities based on internal models. Tests on a simulated humanoid platform replicating torso disturbance acquired on human subject performing various locomotion tasks confirm the effectiveness of our approach.