Cited by 108Balance, Gait, and Falls PreventionLower Extremity Biomechanics and PathologiesGait Recognition and Analysis

The DOI matches its Crossref record, with a small difference in title or year; 42 of the 42 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 41 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Human walking in the real world: Interactions between terrain type, gait parameters, and energy expenditure

Open access
Kowalsky, Daniel B., Rebula, John R., Ojeda, Lauro V., Adamczyk, Peter G., Kuo, Arthur D.·2021·PLOS One

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

Humans often traverse real-world environments with a variety of surface irregularities and inconsistencies, which can disrupt steady gait and require additional effort. Such effects have, however, scarcely been demonstrated quantitatively, because few laboratory biomechanical measures apply outdoors. Walking can nevertheless be quantified by other means. In particular, the foot’s trajectory in space can be reconstructed from foot-mounted inertial measurement units (IMUs), to yield measures of stride and associated variabilities. But it remains unknown whether such measures are related to metabolic energy expenditure. We therefore quantified the effect of five different outdoor terrains on foot motion (from IMUs) and net metabolic rate (from oxygen consumption) in healthy adults (N = 10; walking at 1.25 m/s). Energy expenditure increased significantly ( P < 0.05) in the order Sidewalk, Dirt, Gravel, Grass, and Woodchips, with Woodchips about 27% costlier than Sidewalk. Terrain type also affected measures, particularly stride variability and virtual foot clearance (swing foot’s lowest height above consecutive footfalls). In combination, such measures can also roughly predict metabolic cost (adjusted R 2 = 0.52, partial least squares regression), and even discriminate between terrain types (10% reclassification error). Body-worn sensors can characterize how uneven terrain affects gait, gait variability, and metabolic cost in the real world.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

Foot-mounted IMUs and portable respirometry were used to quantify how five outdoor terrains affect gait and metabolic cost in healthy adults walking at about 1.25 m/s. Energy expenditure increased from Sidewalk to Dirt, Gravel, Grass, and Woodchips, with Woodchips about 27% costlier than Sidewalk, and stride measures such as virtual clearance and variability were terrain-dependent and roughly predictive of metabolic cost.

Key findings

  • Net metabolic rate increased significantly across terrains (repeated-measures ANOVA, P = 7.11e-11), from Sidewalk 189.1 ± 29.00 W to Woodchips 240.8 ± 28.91 W; Woodchips was about 27% costlier than Sidewalk. Non-significant pairwise comparisons were Dirt vs. Sidewalk, Gravel vs. Dirt, and Grass vs. Gravel (P ≥ 0.05).
  • Terrain affected stride measures, especially virtual clearance: mean changed by up to 58% and RMS variability by up to 63% across terrains.
  • Multivariate stride measures predicted metabolic rate better than any single measure: partial least squares regression yielded adjusted R² = 0.52, principal components regression R² = 0.46, and the strongest single univariate regressor, mean virtual clearance, R² = 0.34 (individualized R² = 0.49).
  • Linear discriminants classified terrain from stride measures with 10% resubstitution error (5 errors out of 50 observations).

Methods

  • Ten healthy adults (N = 10; 5 male, 5 female; age 18–48; body mass 64.86 ± 10.10 kg; leg length 0.90 ± 0.07 m) walked outdoors in Nichols Arboretum on five surfaces: Sidewalk, Dirt, Gravel, Grass, and Woodchips, presented in random order for 8 minutes each.
  • Speed was loosely regulated at approximately 1.25 m/s via GPS while following an experimenter; metabolic data were collected with portable respirometry and only the last 3 minutes of each trial were used for net metabolic rate after subtracting quiet standing (97.29 ± 27.06 W).
  • Foot paths were reconstructed from foot-mounted IMUs; 90 strides per foot were analyzed from forward walking sections, with only left-foot data reported. Analyses included repeated-measures ANOVA, linear regressions, PCA, LDA, PCR, and PLSR, with stride distances normalized by leg length and metabolic power by Mg^1.5 L^0.5.

Limitations

  • The paper states that the analysis used a relatively small number of summary measures, that foot-path reconstruction errors exceed laboratory motion capture, and that the method relies on the foot being nearly stationary during stance, which may not occur on softer terrains such as Woodchips, adding uncertainty to stride height and variability.
  • The paper also states that reported variability includes terrain, inertial drift, and measurement noise; that kinematic measures cannot capture leg force or power; that inertial data cannot readily discern step width; and that more challenging terrain, speed and elevation variations, and carried loads were not examined.
  • Evident from the text: the sample was small (N = 10), only five terrains were studied, walking speed was only loosely controlled, and only left-foot data were used for reported measures.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1371/journal.pone.0228682

Cites

42 of 42 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

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Figures

Fig 1 Measurement of foot paths and energy expenditure on outdoor terrain. Subjects walked on different terrains while wearing a portable respirometry system, a global positioning system (GPS) device, and one inertial measurement unit (IMU) per foot. Sample data from one subject show traces for walking speed and elevation from GPS, rates of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production, and angular velocity and translational acceleration vs. time. Terrains included Sidewalk, Gravel, Grass, Woodchip, and Dirt, along with transitions between them (gray lines, not analyzed). Walking speed was loosely regulated via GPS (average speeds listed); terrain segments were selected to avoid large net changes in elevation during trials.
Fig 1 Measurement of foot paths and energy expenditure on outdoor terrain. Subjects walked on different terrains while wearing a portable respirometry system, a global positioning system (GPS) device, and one inertial measurement unit (IMU) per foot. Sample data from one subject show traces for walking speed and elevation from GPS, rates of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production, and angular velocity and translational acceleration vs. time. Terrains included Sidewalk, Gravel, Grass, Woodchip, and Dirt, along with transitions between them (gray lines, not analyzed). Walking speed was loosely regulated via GPS (average speeds listed); terrain segments were selected to avoid large net changes in elevation during trials.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 2 Sample foot path trajectories and associated measurements, as viewed from above and from the side. Forward vs. lateral foot displacements from each trial were used to compute stride covariances. Vertical path of foot was used to determine virtual clearance, relative to straight line between start and end of stride.
Fig 2 Sample foot path trajectories and associated measurements, as viewed from above and from the side. Forward vs. lateral foot displacements from each trial were used to compute stride covariances. Vertical path of foot was used to determine virtual clearance, relative to straight line between start and end of stride.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 3 Representative foot path trajectories for each terrain (from one representative subject), as viewed from above and from side. All strides were arranged to have common origin, to emphasize variation among strides. Color of trajectories varies gradually between beginning (blue) and end (red) of trial, to indicate time course of strides.
Fig 3 Representative foot path trajectories for each terrain (from one representative subject), as viewed from above and from side. All strides were arranged to have common origin, to emphasize variation among strides. Color of trajectories varies gradually between beginning (blue) and end (red) of trial, to indicate time course of strides.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 4 Summary measures of energetic cost and stride measures on five different terrains. Energy expenditure in terms of net metabolic rate and net metabolic cost of transport (energy per unit distance and weight). Stride measures are shown as mean and root-mean-square (RMS) variability: virtual clearance, lateral swing distance, stride height, stride length, stride width (variability only), and walking speed. Bars denote across-subject means; error bars denote standard deviation across subjects (N = 10).
Fig 4 Summary measures of energetic cost and stride measures on five different terrains. Energy expenditure in terms of net metabolic rate and net metabolic cost of transport (energy per unit distance and weight). Stride measures are shown as mean and root-mean-square (RMS) variability: virtual clearance, lateral swing distance, stride height, stride length, stride width (variability only), and walking speed. Bars denote across-subject means; error bars denote standard deviation across subjects (N = 10).CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 5 Principal components and linear discriminants of stride measures, shown as a series of columns of horizontal bars, each row representing a stride measure. First five principal components (PCs) are shown, as well as two linear discriminants, for (LD1) Gravel vs. Grass, and (LD2) Sidewalk vs. Dirt (with constant offsets listed). Stride measures from all subjects and all terrains contributed to this analysis.
Fig 5 Principal components and linear discriminants of stride measures, shown as a series of columns of horizontal bars, each row representing a stride measure. First five principal components (PCs) are shown, as well as two linear discriminants, for (LD1) Gravel vs. Grass, and (LD2) Sidewalk vs. Dirt (with constant offsets listed). Stride measures from all subjects and all terrains contributed to this analysis.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 6 Stride measures for all subjects (N = 10) and all terrains, plotted in two ways: (top) stride length vs. speed, and (bottom) Linear discriminants against each other (i.e. a projection of multi-dimensional data onto two discriminants). Each data point represents one subject’s average measures for one terrain. Stride lengths and speeds (filled symbols) were highly correlated with each other, and overlapped for different terrains. As an example of within-trial variations, top graph also shows all strides from all terrains for a single representative subject (smaller, lightly shaded symbols). Linear discriminants improve separation between two pairs of terrains (separators denoted by dashed lines).
Fig 6 Stride measures for all subjects (N = 10) and all terrains, plotted in two ways: (top) stride length vs. speed, and (bottom) Linear discriminants against each other (i.e. a projection of multi-dimensional data onto two discriminants). Each data point represents one subject’s average measures for one terrain. Stride lengths and speeds (filled symbols) were highly correlated with each other, and overlapped for different terrains. As an example of within-trial variations, top graph also shows all strides from all terrains for a single representative subject (smaller, lightly shaded symbols). Linear discriminants improve separation between two pairs of terrains (separators denoted by dashed lines).CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 7 Net metabolic rate for all subjects and all terrains, fitted vs. observed. Observed refers to empirical measurements (five terrains, N = 10 each). Fitted refers to three ways to predict metabolic rate: Principal components regression from first two PCs (PCR; adjusted R2 = 0.46); Partial least squares regression (PLSR; adjusted R2 = 0.52); and from virtual clearance in a single-variable linear regression (Clearance; overall adjusted R2 = 0.34; shown fitted with subject-specific offsets, R2 = 0.49). Fit types are denoted by symbol shape, and terrains by color.
Fig 7 Net metabolic rate for all subjects and all terrains, fitted vs. observed. Observed refers to empirical measurements (five terrains, N = 10 each). Fitted refers to three ways to predict metabolic rate: Principal components regression from first two PCs (PCR; adjusted R2 = 0.46); Partial least squares regression (PLSR; adjusted R2 = 0.52); and from virtual clearance in a single-variable linear regression (Clearance; overall adjusted R2 = 0.34; shown fitted with subject-specific offsets, R2 = 0.49). Fit types are denoted by symbol shape, and terrains by color.CC BY · PubMed Central

Verification

Claims the paper makes

40 Own result · 24 Own interpretation · 17 Own method · 11 Not checked yet · 8 No full text of the sources · 3 No basis given

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Show all 54 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 36
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 26
49 of 49
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There is presently scant understanding of how terrain affects a person’s actual movements and actions, which are the ultimate determinants of energy expenditure.

    “But aside from this overall effect, there is presently scant understanding of how terrain affects a person’s actual movements and actions, which are the ultimate determinants of energy expenditure.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    It is challenging to determine the biomechanical adaptations for different terrains.

    “It is challenging to determine the biomechanical adaptations for different terrains.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Traditional laboratory measures are difficult to obtain outdoors.

    “But such laboratory measures are difficult to obtain outdoors.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The details of actual surface variations were unknown.

    “Of course, the details of actual surface variations were unknown”
4 of 4

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Citations

Cites

Show all 42 references

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. AR Wu, 2015, Energetic tradeoffs of foot-to-ground clearance during swing phase of walking
  2. DW Grieve, 1968, Gait patterns and the speed of walking, Biomed Eng, 3, 119
  3. JC Russ, 2013, Fractal surfaces

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Metadata

Authors
Kowalsky, D. B., Rebula, J. R., Ojeda, L. V., Adamczyk, P. G., & Kuo, A. D.
Affiliations
University of Michigan (US)
Venue
PLOS One
Published
2021-01-13
Volume
16
Issue
1
Pages
e0228682
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3118943433
Cited by
106
References
42
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 5
FWCI
17.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (W81XWH-09-2-0142)
  • National Institute on Aging (AG030815)
  • Office of Naval Research (ETOWL)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Lower Extremity Biomechanics and Pathologies
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Gait Recognition and Analysis
Keywords
human walking, outdoor terrain, metabolic cost, gait variability, stride-to-stride variability, foot trajectory, inertial measurement unit, oxygen consumption, uneven terrain, wood chips, gravel, Poaceae, dirt, wearable sensors
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Biomechanical Phenomena, Energy Metabolism, Female, Foot, Gait, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Oxygen Consumption, Walking, Young Adult

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