Abstract
Evaluation of stability or loss of balance in walking persists as an open question. Although an inverted pendulum model is often adopted to evaluate stance leg balance, a stumbling-related balance loss should be associated with the swing leg. We propose a new framework based on a compass gait model that determines whether the current state (i.e., position and velocity) in the swing phase can maintain steady state walking or, instead, fall without active joint torque, which is termed as balance map analysis. The forward and backward balance loss regions are derived by a linear compass gait model. To test the balance map analysis, measurement experiments of steady state walking and stumbled walking are used to validate two hypotheses: 1) the state during steady-state walking is not located in the balance loss region; and 2) if stumbling occurs, the state moves toward the forward balance loss region. The results of the balance map analysis showed good agreement with our prediction in the hypotheses. The minimum Euclid distance from the balance loss region is defined as the margin, and the margin from forward balance loss rapidly decreased after the stumbling perturbation. The statistical results reveal that the margin from the forward balance loss region after perturbation is significantly smaller than the margin in steady state walking. These results suggest that balance map analysis provides a new aspect of walking balance, expanded for the stumbling and recovery behavior of human walking.The code for the balance map analysis is available at https://github.com/TakahiroKagawa/GaitAnalysis_BM.
Highlights
B IPEDAL locomotion may have limitations due to loss of balance induced by stumbling or slipping in living situations
If perturbed by stumbling, the state moves toward the forward balance loss region, and the margin from the boundary of the forward balance loss region decreases
There were no steps in which part of the trajectory was in the backward balance loss region, and the part of the trajectories in 56 steps were in the forward balance loss region.The gait kinematics of their subsequent steps did not show explicit recovery reactions
Summary
B IPEDAL locomotion may have limitations due to loss of balance induced by stumbling or slipping in living situations. In our previous study based on a ballistic walking model [26], a backward balance loss is defined as the state of the body’s COM which cannot move forward across the stance ankle position without active joint torque. When the state was located in the backward balance loss region after a slip-related perturbation, the body’s COM could not move forward, and a rapid touchdown response of the swing leg was induced to avoid a backward falling [27]. We formulate simple analytical solutions of a 2-DOF linear compass gait model and visualize the walking balance at each time point based on the prediction of reachability of stable touch down
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