Anthropometry in Bipedal Locomotion: The Link Between Anatomy and Gait

Abstract

Bipedal locomotion is a key point in many scientific domains including medicine, palaeoanthropology, biomechanics, physiology, neuroscience, robotics, computer animation and so on. The link between an anatomical property and its impact on gait relies on accurate anthropometrical data. While human bipedal locomotion and animal motion in general is often well depicted biomechanically, neurologically or physiologically, relatively little is known about the relationships between the normal bipedal gaits and the anthropometric data and its variation. In this chapter, we aim at describing recent work and knowledge concerning this problem. With regard to bipedal gait, we believe that considering humans among primates in a wider comparative framework would enable us to identify the fundamental relationship between anthropometry and biomechanics. It provides us with an original and complementary point of views to other approaches addressed in this volume. Indeed, it provides us with enlarged fundamental knowledge that could be reused in many application domains, such as explaining gait patterns in normal and pathological human locomotion. In this chapter, we propose a synthesis of relevant contributions addressing this assumption for the specific case of human and non-human primates bipedal gaits. We will address the common features and the main differences of this movement from the anthropometrical and functional point of views. General bipedal gait patterns are depicted with regards to biomechanical parameters including kinematics, dynamics and energy expenditure. We thus identify common properties of bipedal locomotion that seem to be independent from anatomical parameters. We conclude this chapter by describing modern approaches based on computer simulation in order to identify the use of anthropometry in understanding normal and pathological gait in humans.