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Natural variability can increase human walking metabolic costs and its implications to simulation-based metabolic
Aya Alwan1,2, Manoj Srinivasan1,3
1Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface
|November 4, 2025
Summary
Stride-to-stride variability in human walking increases metabolic cost. Neglecting this variability in simulations leads to inaccurate metabolic cost estimations, highlighting the need for accurate modeling.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Human locomotion
- Metabolic cost analysis
Background:
- Human walking exhibits natural stride-to-stride variability.
- This variability may stem from sensory/motor noise or motor learning.
- Current models may mis-estimate metabolic costs by ignoring this variability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify metabolic estimation errors from neglecting stride-to-stride variability.
- To compare metabolic costs of variable vs. periodic walking.
- To investigate the impact of noise on metabolic cost in a simplified model.
Main Methods:
- Used human walking data and a musculoskeletal model.
- Compared metabolic cost of multiple strides versus a perfectly periodic averaged stride.
- Employed a feedback-controlled inverted pendulum model to simulate noise effects.
Main Results:
- Averaging strides underestimated metabolic cost by ~2.5%.
- Random stride estimations showed errors up to 15%.
- Increased sensory/motor noise in the pendulum model raised metabolic cost and variability.
Conclusions:
- Stride-to-stride variability significantly impacts metabolic cost estimation.
- Accurate modeling of walking variability is crucial for precise metabolic cost assessment.
- Future research should incorporate variability into biomechanical simulations.
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