Analytical description of minimum energy expenditure surfaces.
Mechanical energy expenditure during level walking was evaluated and graphed for two unilateral, below-knee amputees over time and a range of adjustments of the flexion-extension alignment angle. The resulting mechanical energy surfaces were then least-squared fitted with an analytical function that was linear in time and quadratic in flexion-extension alignment angle. The least-squares analysis showed that there was a flexion-extension adjustment that minimized the mechanical energy expenditure and that this optimal adjustment was very close to the design point set by certified prosthetists.
Winarski
D J
DJ
IBM Corporation, General Products Division, Tucson, Ariz 85744.
Pearson
J R
JR
D001186:Artificial Limbs; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D008954:Models, Biological