Humans exploit the biomechanics of bipedal gait during visually guided walking over complex terrain.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Matthis JS
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3673057 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Humans exploit the biomechanics of bipedal gait during visually guided walking over complex terrain.
Matthis Jonathan Samir JS Fajen Brett R BR
Proceedings. Biological sciences 20130508 1762
How do humans achieve such remarkable energetic efficiency when walking over complex terrain such as a rocky trail? Recent research in biomechanics suggests that the efficiency of human walking over flat, obstacle-free terrain derives from the ability to exploit the physical dynamics of our bodies. In this study, we investigated whether this principle also applies to visually guided walking over complex terrain. We found that when humans can see the immediate foreground as little as two step len ...[more]
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