Hips take walking in stride while ankles help put best foot forward when humans run, says a new study which scientists claim could pave the way for the construction of next-generation prosthetics or robotics.
In the first-of-its-kind study comparing human walking and running motions, a team at North Carolina State University has shown the hips generate more of the power when people walk but the ankles generate more of the power when humans run.
Knees provide approximately one-fifth or less of walking or running power, according to the study published in the ‘Interface’, a Royal Society scientific journal.
A long history of previous studies has focused on the biomechanics of human locomotion from a whole-body or individual limbs perspective.
But this study is the first to zoom in on the mechanical power generated by specific lower-limb joints in a single comprehensive study of walking and running across a range of speeds, lead author Gregory Sawicki said.
The study shows that, overall, hips generate more power when people walk. That is, until humans get to the point at which they are speed walking -- walking so fast that it feels more comfortable to run -- at 2 meters per second.
Hips generate 44 per cent of the power when people walk at a rate of 2 meters per second, with ankles contributing 39 per cent of the power.
