• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.133-145
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• 2007

The purpose of this paper was to compare of difference between energy walking and normal walking. Subjects were selected 8 male undergraduates. The kinematic variables of a pelvis and a thorax were analysed at the take off and contact with 3d cinematography. In addition to the variables, the phase plot angle was calculated in order to definite characteristics in the phase space. The pelvic angle and angular velocity showed significant differences in the flexion/extension between two walking patterns. The pelvic angle and angular velocity were increasing when walking speed was increasing and magnitude of the variables of energy walking was larger than corresponding values for normal walking. On the other hand, the thoracic angle demonstrated significant differences in the flexion/extension and rotation between two walking patterns. The angles of energy walking were smaller in the flexion/extension and were larger in the rotation than the angle of normal walking. The kinematic characteristics of energy walking were also showed clearly significant differences in the range of motion and the relative angle of the trunk. The angle of phase plot only showed demonstrated a significant difference in the rotation at contact between the two walking patterns.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.723-729
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• 2012

Spring-like leg models have been employed to explain various dynamic characteristics in human walking. However, this leg stiffness model has limitations to represent complex motion of actual human gait, especially the behaviors of each lower limb joint. The purpose of this research was to determine changes of total leg stiffness and lower limb joint stiffness with gait speed in knee osteoarthritis. Joint stiffness defined as the ratio of the joint torque change to the angular displacement change. Eight subjects with knee osteoarthritis participated to this study. The subject walked on a 12 m long and 1 m wide walkway with three sets of four different randomly ordered gait speeds, ranging from their self-selected speed to maximum speed. Kinetic and kinematic data were measured using three force plates and an optical marker system, respectively. Joint torques of lower limb joints calculated by a multi-segment inverse dynamics model. Total leg and each lower limb joint had constant stiffness during single support phase. The leg and hip joint stiffness increased with gait speed. The correlation between knee joint angles and torques had significant changed by the degree of severity of knee osteoarthritis.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.37-42
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• 2022

Objective: The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of the strength of the ankle support on the walking characteristics and ankle joints when men with flexible flat feet walk. Method: 13 adult male subjects (age: 23.9 ± 2.4 yrs, height: 173.0 ± 5.0 cm, weight: 76.9 ± 13.2 kg, Navicular Drop Test (NDT): 10.2 ± 0.8 mm) participated in this study. Each participant had to walk with the 3 conditions, barefoot, soft arch support and hard arch support, along a walkway while their kinematics was recorded at 100 Hz. Results: Based on the results of this study, it is considered that men with flexible flat feet should use hard arch support rather than bare feet to induce normal arch shape, relieve foot damage caused by excessive ankle joint abnormalities and improve stability. Conclusion: Our results for men with flat flexibility, there was a significant difference in the value of step length when walking was performed using two arch supports with different strengths. The angle of ankle dorsiflexion was significantly increased, and the ankle eversion angle was significantly decreased.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2007

Walking is not only an essential component of the human mobility, but also is a good exercise. Inability to walk freely can reduce an individual's quality of life and independence substantially. Being a relatively low impact activity, walking is particularly good for the elderly and research has shown that regular walking in the elderly reduces the chance of fall-related injuries and mental diseases as well. In spite of the documented benefits of regular walking, it is still difficult to walk without the aid of assistive devices for the frail elderly who have lower extremity problems. Assistive walking devices(AWD), such as crutches, canes, hiking-poles, T-Poles and walkers, are often prescribed to the elderly to make their walking be safe and efficient. Many researchers have demonstrated the effects of AWDs such as reducing lower extremity loading, improved dynamic/gait stability, yet, no study has been done for gait pattern when the elderly gait with AWDs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine whether T-Poles, one of the AWDs, change the elderly gait pattern. Eight community-dwelling female elderly participated in this study. Laboratory kinematics during walking with T-Poles(PW) and with out T-Poles(NPW) was assessed. PW showed significant increase in step width, stride length, gait velocity and decrease in swing time. No significances were found in lower body joint angles but meaningful trend and pattern were found. Maybe the reason was due to the participants. Our participants were healthy enough so that the effect of T-Poles was minimum. PW also showed typical gait phases which are no single support phase during a gait cycle. It indicates that walking with T-Poles may guarantee safe and confident walking to the frail elderly.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.11-17
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• 2008

Falls associated with tripping over an obstacle can be dangerous, yet little is known about the strategies used for stepping over obstacles by Parkinson's patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate stepping over gait characteristics according to obstacle height in Parkinson's patients. The gait of 7 Parkinson's patients was examined during a 5.0 m approach to, and while stepping over, obstacles of 0, 2.5, 5.2, and 15.2 cm. Only five Parkinson's patients were able to clear all obstacles successfully; as such, only their data were analyzed. A one-way ANOVA for repeated measures was employed for selected kinematic variables to analyze the differences of the height of four obstacles. The results showed significant differences between obstacle height and: approaching speed (AS), foot clearance from the obstacle(FC), and step width (SW). The results showed no significant differences between obstacle height and: crossing speed (CS), toe distance (TD), and heel distance (HD). This strategy tends to reduce the risk of toe contact with the obstacle. Parkinson's patients were stepping over the obstacle slowly, stably and inefficiently.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.49-57
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 12-week elastic resistance exercise for the elderly on the magnitude of frequency and variability of ground reaction force signals. To this aim, total 12 elderly women aged in their 70 were participated in this study and asked to do a 12-week elastic resistance exercise program. FFT(fast Fourier Transform) was used to analyze the frequency domain analysis of the ground reaction forces's signals and an accumulative PSD (power spectrum density) normalized by support phase of walking was calculated to reconstruct the certain signals. To estimate the gait stability between the before and after exercise, values of variability were determined in a coefficient of variance. The magnitude of frequency and variability analysis for media-lateral signal revealed significantly less after exercise (p<.05). In contrast, variability of this signal's frequency that have used to evaluate the local stability during walking exhibited significantly greater after exercise(p<.05). In summary, magnitude frequency and variability of media-lateral ground reaction force's signal were significantly changed after a 12-week elastic resistance exercise.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.659-665
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• 2010

This paper proposes a control algorithm for quadruped robots moving on irregularly sloped uneven surfaces. Since the body balance of a quadruped robot is controlled by the forces acting on its feet during touchdown, the ground reaction force (GRF) is controlled for stable running. The desired GRF for each foot is generated on the basis of the desired galloping pattern; this GRF is then compared with the actual contact force. The difference between the two forces is used to modify the foot trajectory. The desired force is realized by considering a combination of the rate change of the angular and linear momenta at flight. Then, the amplitude of the GRF to be applied at each foot in order to achieve the desired linear and angular momenta is determined by fuzzy logic. Dynamic simulations of galloping motion were performed using RecurDyn; these simulations show that the proposed control method can be used to achieve stable galloping for a quadruped robot on irregularly sloped uneven surfaces.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.257-264
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate the lower extremity kinematics and muscle activities of adductor longus(AL), gluteus medius(GME), gluteus maximus(GMA), biceps femoris(BF), rectus femoris(RF), gastrocnemius(GA), and tibialis anterior(TA) using three dimensional and Noraxon 8 channels EMG system during turn 0, 60, 90 and 120 degrees in patients with Parkinson's disease. Seven parkinson's patients and five healthy subjects were participated in the study. Participants with Parkinson's disease demonstrated significant differences in reduction of stride length and stride width. Also, they showed ill difference in muscle activities. The strength and balance of the lower extremity muscles may help to improve cutting movement and to prevent falling in parkinson's patients.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.175-182
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• 2020

The calculation of the optimal trajectory of the stepped top-down robot was made using a genetic algorithm and a computational torque controller. First, the total energy efficiency was minimized using the Red-Cold Generic Algorithm (RCGA) consisting of reproductive, cross, and mutation. The reproducibility condition related to the position assembly of the start and end of the stride and the joints, angles, and angular velocities are linear constraints. Next, the unequal constraint accompanies the condition for preventing the collision of the swing leg at the corner with the outer surface of the stairs, the condition of the knee joint for preventing kinematic peculiarity, and the condition of no moment in safety in the traveling direction. Finally, the angular trajectory of each joint is defined by fourth-order polynomial whose coefficient is to approximate chromosomes. This is to approximate walking. In this study, the energy efficiency of the optimal trajectory was analyzed by computer simulation through a biped robot with seven degrees of freedom composed of seven links.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.1-16
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• 2002

The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of strength training on the change of ground reaction force for the children with trisomy 21 Down syndrome. The subjects of this study were consisted of eight elementary school students with Down syndrome who participated in the strength training. The strength training was administered by six items such as squat, leg curl, leg extension, toe raise, sit-ups, and hyperextension. For strengthening muscle, each group also was treated by walking for 8 weeks, three times a week, 10-15RM, 3sets, which was based on the principle of progressive overload. For inquiring the effect of strength training, the ground reaction force variables were measured in two phases : before-training and 8 week-after training. The gait of each subject was acquisition using 2 AMTI force platforms set at 100 frequency. The results of this study were as follows: The pattern of vertical, antero-posterior and medio-lateral forces, trajectory of net COP and the timing ratio of reaching the each events were shown variously. So, it is not easy to explain these variables clearly. As the result of strength training, these variables were changed. However, the results of within subjects differ greatly, there was no difference statistically.