Publications by authors named "Svetlana Rapoport"
J Biomech Eng
August 2003
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on analyzing the stiffness and damping characteristics of leg joints during the ground-contact phase of hopping using a detailed jumping model.
- The model comprises four linked segments representing the legs and body and uses damped torsional springs to simulate joint tissue actions, revealing that nonlinearity in joint stiffness is primarily first-order while damping is minimal.
- Findings show that variable joint stiffness improves predictions of joint moments compared to a constant stiffness model, supporting the strategy of muscle preactivation during hopping and indicating that stiffness increases with hopping frequency, which could inform designs for artificial limbs and robotic systems.
