Reducing the metabolic energy of walking and running using an unpowered hip exoskeleton.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Walking and running are the most common means of locomotion in human daily life. People have made advances in developing separate exoskeletons to reduce the metabolic rate of walking or running. However, the combined requirements of overcoming the fundamental biomechanical differences between the two gaits and minimizing the metabolic penalty of the exoskeleton mass make it challenging to develop an exoskeleton that can reduce the metabolic energy during both gaits. Here we show that the metabolic energy of both walking and running can be reduced by regulating the metabolic energy of hip flexion during the common energy consumption period of the two gaits using an unpowered hip exoskeleton.

Methods

We analyzed the metabolic rates, muscle activities and spatiotempo

SUBMITTER: Zhou T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8182901 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature