The Mobility and Fall Prevention Research Laboratory (MFPRL) consists of a 1000+ square foot laboratory in Freer Hall at UIUC that allows for large-scale biomechanical and electrophysiological studies of gait and balance in older adults. The MFPRL is equipped with an 8-camera state-of-the-art active optoelectronic motion capture system (PhaseSpace, Inc. Impulse X2 System), an AMTI AccuSway force plate, a high-density 64-channel active electrode system with 8 additional channels for recording EOG and EMG (Brain Vision LLC. actiCHamp System), a functional near-infrared spectroscopy system (fNIR devices. fNIR Imager 1000), and a 3-m instrumented treadmill (MotekForcelink. C-Mill 3Q). The lab is equipped with an Intersense InertiaCube BT tracker to provide 3 degree of freedom inertial orientation tracking of head movements (Thales Visionix Inc.) and an HTC Vive head mounted display to provide immersive virtual environments. The lab is also equipped with a ceiling mounted harness system, NeuroCom EquiTest (NeuroCom International Inc.) for performing the sensory organization test, and PROPRIO 5000 dynamic platform (Perry Dynamics Inc.). In the MFPRL and the offices assigned to Dr. Hernandez’s team, OS X, unix and windows workstations are available for use by project personnel for word processing, programming, signal processing, and statistical analysis. All computers are networked to the campus system for internet access and connection to computing clusters at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois.

The MFPRL is part of the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, an interdisciplinary group consisting of affiliated faculty members from basic sciences, social sciences, medical sciences and engineering disciplines working on all aspects of health, rehabilitation, and human movement from the cellular to the societal level. As part of the College of Applied Health Sciences, the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health offers a rich environment for pre-doctoral training through its frequent seminars, symposiums, and educational and outreach opportunities.