Low-Dimensional Dynamic Modeling of Human Gait

俄亥俄州哥伦布市俄亥俄州立大学埃里克·R·韦斯特维特的这一项目旨在通过开发真实的人体步态低维模型来提高对人类步态的科学理解。流行的仿生机器人方法--生物系统被用来启发机器设计--将被逆转为一种模仿机器人的生物力学方法，其中来自机器人的想法将被用来启发对生物系统--人类--的研究。特别寻找的是可以作为代表人类步态的动态系统模板的低维模型。这些模型将通过“修剪”人类步态中关节和肌肉的所有附带复杂性，同时只保留动力学的显著方面来找到。所开发的模型将使新的步态分析工具得以开发。具体地说，这些模型可以用来创建一种新的方法来设计和对齐下肢假体。这将改善美国每年接受下肢截肢手术的12.5万人以及现有截肢者中很大一部分人的生活质量。这项工作将支持一名在腿部假肢装置设计方面具有丰富工业经验的女研究生。她回到研究生院是因为她渴望追求学术生涯，所以这笔拨款将直接帮助未来的女性工程学教员的发展。

AbstractLow-Dimensional Dynamic Modeling of Human GaitEric R. Westervelt, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.This project proposes to improve the scientific understanding of human gait through the development of true low-dimensional models of human gait. The popular biomimetic approach to robotics-where biological systems are used to inspire machine design-will be inverted to be a robo-mimetic approach to biomechanics, where the ideas from robotics will be used to inspire the study of a biological system, the human. Specifically sought are low dimensional models that can serve as the template dynamical systems representative of human gait. These models will be found by 'trimming away' all the incidental complexity of joints and muscles of the human's gait while retaining only the salient aspects of the dynamics.The developed models will enable novel gait analysis tools to be developed. Specifically, the models may be used to create a novel approach to the design and alignment of lower-limb prostheses. This will result in improved quality of life for a large fraction of the 125,000 persons per year who undergo a lower-limb amputation in the United States, as well as existing amputees. This work will support one female graduate student who has extensive industrial experience in the design of lower-limb prosthetic devices. Her return to graduate school was prompted by her desire to pursue an academic career, so this grant will directly aid in the development of a future female engineering faculty member.