Coherent collective behavior emerges from local interactions between individuals that generate group dynamics. An outstanding question is how to quantify group coordination of non-rhythmic behavior, in order to understand the nature of these dynamics at both a local and global level. We investigate this problem in the context of a small group of four pedestrians walking to a goal, treating thei...

Human walking exhibits small variations in both step length and step width, some of which may be related to active balance control. Lateral balance is thought to require integrative sensorimotor control through adjustment of step width rather than length, contributing to greater variability in step width. Here we propose that step length variations are largely explained by the typical human pre...

Sarcopenia is an age-related condition characterized by low muscle mass and low physical performance. Several groups have established diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia, which include usual gait speed, skeletal muscle mass and grip strength. In this article, we summarize these criteria, pathogenesis, epidemiology, related conditions and possible interventions for sarcopenia.

In this paper we describe an experiment whose goal is to investigate the role of footstep sounds and soundscapes to affect the pace of a person who is walking in place, e.g., mimicking the act of walking without leaving the current position. The results of a preliminary experiment with nine subjects show that people change their walking pace when exposed to different soundscapes.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to explore the effects of different frequencies of rhythmic auditory cueing (RAC) on stride length, cadence, and gait speed in healthy young females. The findings of this study might be used as clinical guidance of physical therapy for choosing the suitable frequency of RAC. [Subjects] Thirteen healthy young females were recruited in this study. [Methods] Ten...

OBJECTIVE To compare the effect of 3 different approaches to balance training on dual-task balance performance in older adults with balance impairment. DESIGN A double-blind, randomized controlled trial. SETTING University research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Older adults (N=23) with balance impairment (mean age, 74.8y). They scored 52 or less on the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and/or walked wi...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to investigate the lifting characteristics of elders with functional limitations using burden lifting smoothness, trunk angular momentum, and back and hip torque, and to correlate these characteristics with strength and functional measures. METHODS Thirty elders (65-89 years old) consented to biomechanical analysis of lifting, gait, and chair rise, and...

Our goal was to link impaired module patterns to mobility task performance in persons poststroke. Kinematic, kinetic, and electromyography (EMG) data were collected from 27 poststroke subjects and from 17 healthy control subjects. Each subject walked on a treadmill at their self-selected walking speed in addition to a randomized block design of four steady-state mobility capability tasks: walki...

OBJECTIVE To systematically review the available evidence on the efficacy of walking training associated with virtual reality-based training in patients with stroke. The specific questions were: Is walking training associated with virtual reality-based training effective in increasing walking speed after stroke? Is this type of intervention more effective in increasing walking speed, than non-v...