Two-thirds power law in human locomotion: role of ground contact forces

Are there general rules for the generation of curvilinear motion of the end-effector? Form and kinematics of the arm trajectory are typically inter-related. A relationship between velocity and curvature of the endpoint path has been previously described and quantified as the two-thirds power law. He...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inNeuroreport Vol. 13; no. 9; p. 1171
Main Authors Ivanenko, Yuri P, Grasso, Renato, Macellari, Velio, Lacquaniti, Francesco
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 02.07.2002
Subjects
Adult
Central Nervous System - physiology
Exercise Test
Female
Foot - physiology
Gait - physiology
Hand - physiology
Humans
Locomotion - physiology
Male
Periodicity
Pursuit, Smooth - physiology
Regression Analysis
Weight-Bearing - physiology
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:Are there general rules for the generation of curvilinear motion of the end-effector? Form and kinematics of the arm trajectory are typically inter-related. A relationship between velocity and curvature of the endpoint path has been previously described and quantified as the two-thirds power law. Here we show that the two-thirds power law holds also for the foot trajectory (during the swing phase) in human locomotion for a wide range of walking speeds and gravitational loads, but air-stepping. In air-stepping, it was violated systematically. The results suggest that the power law represents a general constrain of biological motion, may be attributed to both mechanical and neural factors and can depend on natural interactions with external environment.
ISSN:0959-4965
DOI:10.1097/00001756-200207020-00020