Analysis System of Intersegmental Force Exerted on Human Lower Limbs During Walking Motion

Abstract

This study proposes an analysis system for evaluating the intersegmental forces exerted on human lower limbs during walking motion. In existing analysis systems, the ground reaction force exerted on the feet is generally measured using force plates and the intersegmental forces are then estimated using an inverse dynamics approach. However, force plates are inconvenient and expensive. Accordingly, the present study proposes a new method for evaluating the intersegmental forces exerted on human lower limbs during walking without the need for force plates. In the proposed approach, the legs are modeled as a seven-link parallel manipulator. The kinematics and dynamics of the leg model are formulated, and the intersegmental forces are then derived using Newton-Euler theory based on the posture information obtained by gyroscopes accelerometers during walking motion. The results obtained from the analysis system for the intersegmental forces during walking motion are compared with experiment data obtained by using an load cells. It is found that the estimated results are in good agreement with measurement results. Thus, the basic validity of the proposed analysis system is confirmed.