Leg compliance is required to explain the ground reaction force patterns and speed ranges in different gaits.

ABSTRACT: Two simple models - vaulting over stiff legs and rebounding over compliant legs - are employed to describe the mechanics of legged locomotion. It is agreed that compliant legs are necessary for describing running and that legs are compliant while walking. Despite this agreement, stiff legs continue to be employed to model walking under the assumption that the compliance of the leg during walking is high enough to be considered stiff. Here we study gait choice and walk-to-run transition in a biped with compliance and show that the principles underlying gait choice and transition are completely different from stiff legs. Two findings underpin our conclusions: First, at the same speed, step length, and stance duration, multiple gaits that differ in the number of leg contraction cycles are pos

SUBMITTER: Safa AT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11463684 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature