Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4294-1557
Advisor Information
Kota Takahashi
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
1-3-2019 2:00 PM
End Date
1-3-2019 3:15 PM
Abstract
The foot's biomechanical role in walking on sloped surfaces is currently unclear. While previous biomechanics studies have examined the hip, knee, and ankle, the foot is oversimplified as a rigid-body segment. This oversimplification overshadows its complex structure and function. In this project, we use an innovative multi-segment foot model to explore how the foot adapts its mechanics to incline and decline walking. Preliminary results have revealed that the foot is capable of adapting its mechanical work profile to both incline and decline walking. Specifically, the foot can increase its positive work output (i.e., increased energy generation) during inclined walking to help propel the body upwards, and it increases its negative work output (i.e., increased energy dissipation) during declined walking to help slow the body down. These results are informative for understanding the role the foot plays during walking, and may help in the design of prosthetic, orthotic, or exoskeletal devices that are supposed to mimic the foot’s function.
How the Foot Modulates its Mechanics During Uphill and Downhill Walking
The foot's biomechanical role in walking on sloped surfaces is currently unclear. While previous biomechanics studies have examined the hip, knee, and ankle, the foot is oversimplified as a rigid-body segment. This oversimplification overshadows its complex structure and function. In this project, we use an innovative multi-segment foot model to explore how the foot adapts its mechanics to incline and decline walking. Preliminary results have revealed that the foot is capable of adapting its mechanical work profile to both incline and decline walking. Specifically, the foot can increase its positive work output (i.e., increased energy generation) during inclined walking to help propel the body upwards, and it increases its negative work output (i.e., increased energy dissipation) during declined walking to help slow the body down. These results are informative for understanding the role the foot plays during walking, and may help in the design of prosthetic, orthotic, or exoskeletal devices that are supposed to mimic the foot’s function.