Bipedal Gait Analysis
The APEMEN Consortium, Agent based Predictive Environment for Modelling Expansion in the Neogene, is based around NW-GRID and is developing evidence based models for research into primate and human evolution. They have simulated locomotion and carried out gait analysis to understand the energy costs and locomotor capabilities of extinct and extant species using metric evidence from fossil remains and observational field work. c.170,000 core hours were used, with the results only being possible through the use of the HPC facilities.
Highlights
Modelling Achilles tendon - iSTGW article mentioned NW-GRID
BBC News Article - T. rex would outrun footballer
Running with Dinosaurs presentation by Bill Sellers recorded by the JISC CREW project.
NW-GRID provides the muscle to determine dinosaur running speeds.
More Information
Project Investigators Professors Robin Crompton (Liverpool) and William Sellers (Manchester)
Scientific/ Technical Objectives To obtain a better understanding of the mechanics of bipedal motion in both living and extinct species. For instance, given the fossil information about Australopithecus afarensis, can researchers determine the most efficient, and therefore most likely, mode of bipedal motion of this hominid? Similarly, what are the likely locomotor capabilities of bipedal dinosaurs.
Role of NW-GRID The modelling of bipedal motion relies heavily on genetic algorithms to perform necessary optimisation. This is computationally intensive. Furthermore, the computational requirements increase as better physics is added to the model.
Applications Software In-house codes, although future use of standard packages such as Abaqus on HPC systems is also envisioned.
Grid Software
Progress to date Approximately 100,000 core hours of computation were performed in the latest computational study, which is being reported on at a Society for Experimental Biologists conference in Glasgow at the end of March.
Movies generated with the assistance of computation performed on NW-GRID systems can be found at motion movies.
Publications
- Sellers, W. I., P. L. Manning, P. L., Crompton, R. H. and J. R. Codd. (2007) "Exploring elastic energy storage effects in bipedal locomotion using evolutionary robotics". Journal of Biomechanics, in-review.
- Sellers WI, Gain, MM, Wang, W, Crompton, RH (2005), "Stride length, speed and energy costs in walking of Australopithecus afarensis: using evolutionary robotics to predict the locomotion of early human ancestors". Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 2, 431-441.
- W.I. Sellers and P.L. Manning. Estimating dinosaur maximum running speeds using evolutionary robotics Proceedings of the Royal Society B, doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.0846