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About

Michiel van Elk is a cognitive neuroscientist whose research explores the intersection of body representation, multisensory integration, and tool embodiment. His key contributions focus on how the brain extends peripersonal space—the immediate area around the body—through tool use, particularly in surgical robotics. In his highly cited 2012 study (61 citations), van Elk demonstrated that using a robotic surgical interface extends the body schema to virtual tools, as evidenced by crossmodal congruency effects. He further showed that force feedback facilitates multisensory integration during robotic tool use (38 citations), and that time-delays in visual and force feedback disrupt telepresence (9 citations). More recently, van Elk has investigated how congruent visuo-tactile feedback extends peripersonal space (8 citations). His work bridges cognitive neuroscience and surgical robotics, providing objective metrics for evaluating telepresence and embodiment. By quantifying how the brain incorporates tools into its spatial representation, van Elk’s research has practical implications for improving robotic surgery interfaces and virtual reality systems. His findings continue to inform our understanding of body plasticity and the neural mechanisms underlying tool use.