Abstract
This paper proposes a methodology to reconstruct the vertical GRFs from the registered body motion that is reasonably robust against measurement noise. The vertical GRFs are reconstructed from the experimentally identified time-variant pacing rate and a generalised single-step load model available in the literature. The proposed methodology only requires accurately capturing the body motion within the frequency range 1–10 Hz and does not rely on the exact magnitude of the registered signal. The methodology can therefore also be applied when low-cost sensors are used and to minimize the impact of soft-tissue artefacts. In addition, the proposed procedure can be applied regardless of the position of the sensor on the human body, as long as the recorded body motion allows for identifying the time of a nominally identical event in successive walking cycles. The methodology is illustrated by a numerical example and applied to an experimental dataset where the ground reaction forces and the body motion were registered simultaneously. The results show that the proposed methodology allows for arriving at a good estimate of the vertical ground reaction forces. When the impact of soft-tissue artefacts is low, a comparable estimate can be obtained using Newton’s second law of motion.
Highlights
Footbridges are often conceived as slender and lightweight structures and are, by consequence, sensitive to human excitation [1]
McDonald et al [11] show that the tracked marker motion of the C7th vertebrae (C7) at the base of the neck is a good approximation of the motion of the body center of mass (BCoM)
An alternative methodology is presented in [14], where the ground reaction forces (GRFs) are reconstructed from the time-variant pacing rate, identified from the motion of a point on the body with kinematics that approximates those of the BCoM, and a generalised single-step load model available in the literature [23,24]
Summary
Footbridges are often conceived as slender and lightweight structures and are, by consequence, sensitive to human excitation [1]. An alternative methodology is presented in [14], where the GRFs are reconstructed from the time-variant pacing rate, identified from the motion of a point on the body with kinematics that approximates those of the BCoM, and a generalised single-step load model available in the literature [23,24]. In view of in-field applications, the present study introduces a methodology to reconstruct the vertical GRFs from the registered body motion, which is reasonably robust against measurement noise arising from soft-tissue artefacts and the application of low-cost sensor technologies To this end, the methodology is developed that uses the motion registered at a single location on the human body and allows the body kinematics to be collected at a relatively low sampling rate (e.g., 25 Hz).
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