Automatic control f human balance may, under certian circumstances, be organized in a top-down fashion, such that the body center of gravity is maintained within the base of support without disrupting the stabilizatio of the head in space. Previous quantitative models of the biomechanics of human posture control have generally been concerned with examining the simple case of ankle sway strategy, in which an inverted pendulum model is typically used (cf. Johansson, et al., 1988), or the somewhat more complicated case of hip sway strategy, in which a multi-link, articulated model is used (cf. Koozekanani, et al., 1980). While these existing models have been useful in quantifying the gross dynamics of sensory-motor control of posture, they are not sufficiently detailed to allow analyses of head-trunk coordination strategies which may be crucial to understanding the underlying mechanisms of posture control.
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