The Interaction of Posture, Locomotion and Sensory Information

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The evolutionary development of bipedal stance, which freed the hands from locomotion, is considered a fundamental distinction between humans and our closest relatives. Accompanying that development was an increase in instability of the body. Engineered devices such as cars and robots typically solve the stability problem by having a wide base of support and/or having the bulk of the weight concentrated lower down. However, the human body has a narrow base of support and most of its mass is concentrated higher up in the trunk, making us inherently unstable and prone to falls. This project brings both experimental and sophisticated nonlinear analysis techniques to bear on the question of how the stability of human bipedal locomotion is achieved. Locomotion is a critical daily life activity. Our living environment is structured to be compatible with the scale and manner with which humans move. Despite attempts to restructure the environment, people who have limited mobility and are forced to navigate with assistive devices such as crutches or wheelchairs still encounter many obstacles. A better understanding of how we interact with the environment for upright stability has implications for improving human mobility of all kinds and hence quality of life. The investigators also foster participation of undergraduate and high school students in the research through established programs at the University of Maryland and Montgomery Blair High School. By targeting ethnic and racial groups currently underrepresented in science, the project makes significant contributions to the integration of research, training and education.This work is co-funded by SBE/BCS and the Office of International Science and Engineering