Kinesiology Commons^™

Partitioning The Mechanical Cost Of Human Walking: Unveiling Cost Asymmetries For Bionic Technologies, Michael Richard Isaacs

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Biomechanics studies over the past 150 years, suggest that animals, including humans, move at speeds that “optimize” their cost of transport. These optimizations can be metabolic, mechanical, or a mixture of the two; however, the consensus on the relationship between metabolic and mechanical cost has been muddied by our current conceptualizations of mechanical cost. Our prior considerations in assessing mechanical cost of transport for animal locomotion often rely upon the exchange of potential and kinetic energy for a rising and falling center of mass that is supported by rigid legs. As a result, our understanding of the mechanical costs associated …