Abstract
An experimental method and a mathematical analysis for the human gait initiation are presented. In the experiment, two force plates are used to measure the force to each leg separately. A mathematical model is derived in a suitable form for the analysis of the initiation process of the gait. We analyze not only the inverse motion of the point of application but also that of the vertical reaction force using the model to show their contribution to the gait initiation. Also, this model is useful to explain the differnce between the motion of the center of mass of the body and that of the point of application in the gait initiation process.
The following results are obtained: the inverse motion of the reaction force moves the body toward the first supporting leg in the lateral direction; the inverse motion of the point of application in the sagittal direction accelerates the body in the walking direction; the magnitude of the inverse motion of the reaction force can be estimated by the mathematical model. The transition of the body state from a quiet standing to a steady walking is simulated and compared with an experimental result.
