title: Stability in legged locomotion.
abstract: Stability is a key element in a gait synthesis. Static stability margins are widely adopted in crawlers, while no similar approach has been developed for dynamically stable systems. Utilizing an analytical approach, we developed a set of easy-to-calculate stability indices to describe instantaneous static and dynamic (In)stability for a certain group of walking systems. The analysis is based on a thorough analysis of the interaction between ground reaction forces and the walking system. The indices are applicable to walking systems regardless of the number of legs or mechanical/biological design. We show that static and dynamic stability are independent of each other. We suggest a possible categorization of gait modes based on stability. Stability characteristics are analyzed in a healthy and highly pathological human gait. Finally, we discuss the applicability of the proposed methods.
authors.affiliation: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Trzaska 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. karcnikt@robo.fe.uni-lj.si
authors.forename: Tomaz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karcnik
mesh_terms: D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology