Abstract Summary
Our goal was to estimate the lower limit on the net metabolic cost of transport (MCoT) in human walking. We found the muscle forces of a musculoskeletal model that minimized the total positive muscle fibre work, under the constraint that the net joint torques were equal to those obtained from experimental data. Based on muscle fibre work, we estimated net MCoT to be at least 3.1 J/kg/m. Since this value is higher than typically measured, we are facing a fundamental puzzle to explain MCoT based on muscle mechanics and energetics.
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