Quantitative Analysis of Change in Viscoelasticity of Anthropomimetic Foot at Landing

Abstract

In this research, to investigate the effects of the shape and posture of the human foot in viscoelasticity of the foot, we developed the foot that mimics the human body and measured the impact force at landing. The developed anthropomimetic foot has bones, ligaments, tendons, and plantar fascia, and the ankle and toe angles are adjustable. Three types of foot modified skeletal structure, and anthropomimetic foot changed the angles of ankle and toe were used in the shock application experiments. The measured impact force and the response of the visscoelastic model with the impulse input were compared, and the viscoelastic coefficients were identified for each condition. The results showed that the degree of freedom of the foot and plantar flexion of the ankle contributed to the low elasticity and high viscosity of the foot, while toe extension contributed to the high elasticity and low viscosity of the foot.