Characteristics of locomotion regulation in man

It has been found by transforming experimental kinematic data to normal coordinates with calculating of muscle force moments during walking that the locomotor movements are regulated almost discontinuously at each degree of freedom of leg, so two piece constant parameters of control are switched few times during gait cycle. Therefore musculature acts like switched elastic constraints, and energy expenditure depends on the trajectories of movements essentially less than on the kinematic conditions displayed during fixed switchings.