Asymmetric passive dynamic walker.

The objective of this research is to better understand the dynamics of gait asymmetry in humans with central nervous system damage, such as stroke, by using a model of a passive dynamic walker (PDW). By changing the mass, mass location, knee location, and leg length of one leg while leaving the parameters of the other leg unchanged, we show that stable asymmetric walking patterns exist for PDW models. The asymmetric PDW model shows several stable walking patterns that have a single, double, and quadruple repeat pattern where the step lengths between the two legs differ by over 15%. This model will allow an analysis of the passive dynamics of walking separate from the cognitive control in asymmetric human walking to test different gait rehabilitation hypotheses.