Control of trunk over obstacles in starting walking

The motion over obstacles has been analyzed using floor reaction force and direct kinematic measurement. In the starting phase, an inversed reaction force response is observed. Especially, lateral components (LT) of the elderly are significantly larger than the young. They may not move the center of gravity (COG) smoothly in the execution/modulation phase. The above drift of LT still remains. The toe velocity of the opening foot becomes larger with a higher obstacle. The young controls motion of the opening foot positively. In the elderly, a non-symmetrical rotational movement of the trunk takes a longer duration to return to the normal condition. This non-symmetrical and large deviation of rotational movement of the trunk may cause falling, because of the view is obstructed