Author:

Keywords:

12ZJ922N#56289419, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Technology, Biophysics, Engineering, Biomedical, Engineering, Extrapolated center of mass, Gait stability, Dynamic balance, Biomechanics, Locomotion, CENTER-OF-MASS, DYNAMIC STABILITY, BALANCE RECOVERY, HUMAN WALKING, STEP LENGTH, MODEL, INDIVIDUALS, GAIT, MECHANISMS, MOTION, Postural Balance, Biomechanical Phenomena, Gait, Walking, 0903 Biomedical Engineering, 0913 Mechanical Engineering, 1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, 4003 Biomedical engineering, 4207 Sports science and exercise

Abstract:

The concept of the 'extrapolated center of mass (XcoM)', introduced by Hof et al., (2005, J. Biomechanics 38 (1), p. 1-8), extends the classical inverted pendulum model to dynamic situations. The vector quantity XcoM combines the center of mass position plus its velocity divided by the pendulum eigenfrequency. In this concept, the margin of stability (MoS), i.e., the minimum signed distance from the XcoM to the boundaries of the base of support was proposed as a measure of dynamic stability. Here we describe the conceptual evolution of the XcoM, discuss key considerations in the estimation of the XcoM and MoS, and provide a critical perspective on the interpretation of the MoS as a measure of instantaneous mechanical stability.