Musculoskeletal simulation-based parametric study of optimal gait frequency in biped locomotion

Researchers have hypothesized that animal locomotory patterns seen are consistent with the resonant frequencies endowed by their musculoskeletal structures. Further it is posited that systems succeed in minimizing their energy expenditure by moving at this resonant frequency. We choose to systematically study this hypothesis in the specific context of bipedal locomotion. Researchers have sought to correlate the preferred strike frequency with the resonant frequencies of the model or used indirect measurement such as oxygen consumption, electromyography (EMG) to assess expended effort. In our study, we employed virtual prototyping with a capable musculoskeletal simulation model to study the same hypothesis. We benchmark against the available literature and demonstrate that valuable insights can be obtained that can complement the current knowledge-base in biped locomotion.