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Maximum walking speed and lower limb length in hominids
1Department of Anthropology/Sociology, Kutztown University, Pennsylvania 19530, USA.
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
|December 1, 1996
Summary
Lower limb length impacts maximum walking speed but not comfortable walking speed. This suggests longer legs may not have provided a locomotor advantage in early hominids, challenging previous theories.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Human Locomotion
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Previous models suggested lower limb length limits maximum walking speed by affecting center of mass (CoM) acceleration.
- The transition from walking to running may be determined by the interplay between gravity and self-generated acceleration.
- Longer lower limbs are hypothesized to offer locomotor advantages, potentially driving selection in early hominids.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if gravity and self-acceleration dictate the walking-to-running transition speed.
- To investigate the hypothesis that increased lower limb length (L) provided a selective advantage in hominid locomotion.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of biomechanical models of human walking.
- Review of recent literature on lower limb length and locomotion.
Main Results:
- Lower limb length (L) is related to maximum possible walking speed.
- L was not a significant factor in determining maximum comfortable walking speed.
- Findings challenge the notion that longer lower limbs conferred a selective locomotor advantage.
Conclusions:
- The interaction of gravity and acceleration may influence the walking-running gait transition.
- Increased lower limb length likely provided no significant selective advantage for locomotion in early hominids.
- Alternative explanations for the evolution of lower limb length should be explored.