Eric 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.
