The effect of active leg swing on walking template model dynamics

Abstract

Some reductionist models match human walking dynamics surprisingly well. For reasons of simplicity, the swing leg and its dynamics have been neglected in the past. A dynamic effect would, however, be expected of the high acceleration and deceleration required to recirculate approximately 15% of the entire body mass during the very short swing phase. This paper documents the investigation of the effect of a simplified swing leg on the dynamics of a reductionist walking model. The findings suggest the dynamic decoupling of the swing leg and the remaining body.