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This study develops an anthropomimetic foot joint structure that replicates human skeletal geometry to optimize impact attenuation through passive postural adjustments. The findings demonstrate how multi-jointed, arch-like architectures can dynamically tune the trade-off between damping and rebound without active control systems. This bio-inspired mechanical design offers significant insights for advancing soft robotics and legged locomotion by leveraging anatomical morphology for tunable viscoelastic responses.
Landing-Induced Viscoelastic Changes in an Anthropomimetic Foot Joint Structure are Modulated by Foot Structure and Posture
arXiv:2601.14634v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: How skeletal architecture and landing posture shape the immediate post-impact viscoelastic response of the foot remains incompletely understood, in part because cadaveric specimens are ill-suited to repeated impact testing across postures. In this study, we developed an anthropomimetic foot joint structure aimed at replicating the skeletal geometry of the human foot. Using a vertical drop apparatus that simulates landing and a viscoelastic system-identification model, we investigated how skeletal structure and posture modulate the apparent post-impact viscoelastic response. The results show that the multi-jointed anthropomimetic structure exhibited a higher damping ratio than simplified flat and rigid feet. Moreover, ankle dorsiflexion and toe extension systematically shifted the identified parameters, reducing the damping ratio under the tested conditions. Taken together, these findings indicate that an arch-like, multi-jointed skeletal architecture can enhance impact attenuation in an anthropomimetic mechanical foot, and that morphology and passive posture alone can tune the trade-off between attenuation and rebound. The observed trends are qualitatively consistent with reported differences in human landing strategies, and highlight the engineering advantage of anatomically informed skeletal design for achieving tunable impact attenuation through postural adjustment.
Abstract:How skeletal architecture and landing posture shape the immediate post-impact viscoelastic response of the foot remains incompletely understood, in part because cadaveric specimens are ill-suited to repeated impact testing across postures. In this study, we developed an anthropomimetic foot joint structure aimed at replicating the skeletal geometry of the human foot. Using a vertical drop apparatus that simulates landing and a viscoelastic system-identification model, we investigated how skeletal structure and posture modulate the apparent post-impact viscoelastic response. The results show that the multi-jointed anthropomimetic structure exhibited a higher damping ratio than simplified flat and rigid feet. Moreover, ankle dorsiflexion and toe extension systematically shifted the identified parameters, reducing the damping ratio under the tested conditions. Taken together, these findings indicate that an arch-like, multi-jointed skeletal architecture can enhance impact attenuation in an anthropomimetic mechanical foot, and that morphology and passive posture alone can tune the trade-off between attenuation and rebound. The observed trends are qualitatively consistent with reported differences in human landing strategies, and highlight the engineering advantage of anatomically informed skeletal design for achieving tunable impact attenuation through postural adjustment.
33 pages, 7 main-text figures, and 5 supplementary figures. Author-accepted manuscript; includes supplementary information. Published in Bioinspiration & Biomimetics 21 (2026) 046019
Robotics (cs.RO); Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph)
arXiv:2601.14634 [cs.RO]
(or arXiv:2601.14634v2 [cs.RO] for this version)
Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, vol. 21, 046019, 2026
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-3190/ae8597 DOI(s) linking to related resources
Full text under the publisher's open licence · 229 words
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