Talk Thursday Jan 15 4-5 in Pitt's Scaife Hall Auditorium 5
http://www.tour.pitt.edu/tour-170-map.html

Mechanics and Control of Human Locomotion: Let Your Physics do the Walking

A. D. Kuo, Depts. of Mechanical Engineering & Biomedical Engineering,
University of Michigan

Human walking requires considerable coordination, with the central nervous
system orchestrating the activity of many muscles in the upper and lower body.
The body expends effort both to control the motion and to provide energy. But
just how much control is needed, and where does the energy go? To answer these
questions we might consider just how little control and energy are needed.
Passive walking machines are two-legged mechanisms that can walk down a gentle
slope with no control whatsoever and no external energy input. They can also
walk on level ground with a very small amount of power. We will consider
whether humans harness the passive dynamic properties of the limbs when they
walk. A series of experiments explores whether these properties can predict how
much energy humans use during walking, and whether they can simplify the
control of balance. Finally, we will examine applications to prosthetics and
rehabilitation.

Short bio:
Art Kuo is Professor of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering at the University
of Michigan. His research interests are in human balance and walking, using
engineering principles to bridge between mechanics and biology. He attended the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating with a B.S. in
Electrical Engineering. He then attended Stanford University for a Ph.D. in
Mechanical Engineering, in which he examined the biomechanics and control of
human balance. At the University of Michigan, he teaches courses in dynamics
and systems & control.