Adjustment of mass moment of inertia of lower limb according to gait phase

The paper presents time dependent adjustment of total moment of inertia of the lower limb during gait movement. The kinematic data consisting in: Cartesian coordinates, relative and absolute angles of joints and segments, angular velocities and accelerations were determined from movement analysis of a healthy subject during gait. The mass characteristics were computed according to the literature and relies on the body weight and segmental lengths of the same subject. The total moment of inertia was then computed about the transversal axis of rotation that passes through the hip joint, on a three-segments model of the lower limb. The results show the process of total moment of inertia adjustment in relation to the gait phase, all in the purpose to facilitate the acceleration of the foot and the progression of the total body center of mass.