Award details

(A) A model for predicting the metabolic energy costs of bipedal and quadrupedal gaits from foot contact parameters

Reference	JE514383
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Prof. Robin Crompton
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Dr M Gunther, Professor Alberto Minetti
Institution	University of Liverpool
Department	Human Anatomy and Cell Biology
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	120,116
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	28/02/2001
End date	28/08/2001
Duration	6 months

Abstract

The metabolic costs of locomotion are essential measures of the adaptedness and efficient function of the locomotor apparatus, yet can rarely be measured in non-humans. This project seeks to verify the model developed by Minetti and Alexander which predicts metabolic costs of bipedal gaits from foot contact parameters; to increase its accuracy further by developing a more anatomically realistic model of the forces generated by the limb, musculoskeletal system and to extend the model to predict the costs of quadrupedal gaits. The application seeks support for the equipment which will enable us to verify the predictive models which shall be developed, against real world data on foot contact parameters, muscle activity, joint kinematics and oxygen consumption at given speeds. Integration of the progressively refined model of the metabolic costs of gait with our own predictive dynamic models of bipedal and quadrupedal gaits, which have already been applied to reconstruction of the dynamics of gait of fossil species, will give us a powerful means of assessing the efficiency of morphologies for which we have no living analogue, as well as of objectively assessing the efficiency of existing, including pathological morphologies.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Animal Sciences (AS)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	Joint Equipment Initiative 2000 (JE5) [2000]
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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