= David J. Craig
{c}
\b[David J. Craig] is the credited writer of Boston University's 14 November 2003 account of research connecting <dynamical systems>, <biology> and <biomedical engineering>. His article describes <James J. Collins>'s work on <noise> and sensation, including vibrating gel insoles intended to improve the detection of weak pressure signals from the feet. This is a contribution to communicating the research; the article attributes the experimental work to the researchers.<Dynamic solutions to physiological problems by David J. Craig>[Byline, date and “Touch sensitive” section]{ref}
The scientific puzzle in that account is <stochastic resonance>: under suitable conditions, adding <noise> can improve the detection of a weak signal. A simple explanatory model is a detector that responds when $x+\eta>\theta$, where $x$ is the signal, $\eta$ the <noise> and $\theta$ a threshold. If $x<\theta$, a detector without <noise> never responds; a fluctuating $\eta$ gives a nonzero <probability> of crossing the threshold. The same <noise> can also produce a response when the signal is absent, so an increase in threshold crossings alone does not establish improved discrimination. Craig's account places this counterintuitive mechanism in the concrete setting of mechanical stimulation of the sole rather than claiming that <noise> always helps.<Dynamic solutions to physiological problems by David J. Craig>[“Touch sensitive”: weak-signal detection and the vibrating gel insole]{ref}
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