Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Oct 24;17(10):2431.
doi: 10.3390/s17102431.

Three-Axis Ground Reaction Force Distribution during Straight Walking

Masataka Hori  1 , Akihito Nakai  2 , Isao Shimoyama  3
Affiliations

Three-Axis Ground Reaction Force Distribution during Straight Walking

Masataka Hori et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

We measured the three-axis ground reaction force (GRF) distribution during straight walking. Small three-axis force sensors composed of rubber and sensor chips were fabricated and calibrated. After sensor calibration, 16 force sensors were attached to the left shoe. The three-axis force distribution during straight walking was measured, and the local features of the three-axis force under the sole of the shoe were analyzed. The heel area played a role in receiving the braking force, the base area of the fourth and fifth toes applied little vertical or shear force, the base area of the second and third toes generated a portion of the propulsive force and received a large vertical force, and the base area of the big toe helped move the body's center of mass to the other foot. The results demonstrate that measuring the three-axis GRF distribution is useful for a detailed analysis of bipedal locomotion.

Keywords: 3-axis force sensor; bipedal locomotion; force distribution; gait; ground reaction force (GRF); micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS); shoe; walk.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Sensor chip and three-axis force sensor; (b) Top and bottom of the three-axis force sensor embedded in rubber material used as a sole.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Outputs of the three-axis force sensor embedded in rubber material used as a sole. (a), (b) and (c) are the results when x-, y- and z-axis force were applied to the sensor, respectively. The markers in the graphs are plotted on the measured values. The solid lines in the graphs are fitting values obtained using the least-squares technique. (d) Equation of a force sensor to convert from resistivity changes to forces.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Shoe with three-axis force sensors and appearance of the person who wore the measurement system.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Change of vertical forces during the contact phase of the left foot.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Result of the vertical force distribution measured by the proposed measurement system. COP: center of pressure.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Result of the shear force distribution measured by the proposed measurement system.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Elftman H. A Cinematic Study of the Distribution of Pressure in the Human Foot. Anat. Rec. 1934;59:481–491. doi: 10.1002/ar.1090590409. - DOI
    1. Elftman H. The Measurement of the External Force in Walking. Science. 1938;88:152–153. doi: 10.1126/science.88.2276.152. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rajala S., Lekkala J. Plantar shear stress measurements—A review. Clin. Biomech. 2014;29:475–483. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2014.04.009. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jung C.K., Park S. Compliant Bipedal Model with the Center of Pressure Excursion Associated with Oscillatory Behavior of the Center of Mass Reproduces the Human Gait Dynamics. J. Biomech. 2014;47:223–229. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2013.09.012. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Stolwijk N.M., Duysens J., Louwerens J.W.K., Keijsers N.L.W. Plantar Pressure Changes after Long-Distance Walking. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 2010;42:2264–2272. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181e305f4. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources