A model-based analysis of the mechanics and energetics of walking on uneven terrain

摘要: Walking on natural, complex terrain is energetically more demanding than walking on flat, smooth surfaces. Many surface characteristics, such as compliance, damping, incline angle, friction or terrain unevenness can affect gait biomechanics and energetics. Past research has shown that surface unevenness, in particular, leads to increased energy expenditure as a result of larger positive work done at the knee and hip joints [1]. To help understand the underlying mechanisms for these mechanical and energetic changes, we examined two simple models (the rimless wheel [2] and the simplest walker [3, 4]) during walking over surfaces of varying terrain unevenness. We also looked at several types of gaits and energy input methods for both models. Comparison of model results to empirical data showed that experimental results were most with agreement with models that relied on energetically expensive hip work but still showed adaptations to the terrain by adjusting the amount of work done through push-off. We believe these findings provide a better understanding of the adaptations used by humans in natural environments. In addition, this research could potentially be useful in the design and control of bipedal robots and assistive devices.