Allowing the Load to Swing Reduces the Mechanical Energy of the Stance Leg and Improves the Lateral Stability of Human Walking

Loaded walking with typical rigid backpack results in a significant increase the mechanical energy of stance leg and decrease lateral stability. Allowing load to swing, which has been applied shoulder pole, tool widely used Asia for carriage assistance, may attenuate these effects. This paper theoretically analyzes experimentally validates biomechanical energetic effects swinging loads. When 30 kg load, allowing swing reduces fore-aft impulses by over 19% further 12.9% compared backpack. The whole-body metabolic cost no change, be attributed muscle work upper body swing. Moreover, movement out phase human direction excursion extrapolated center-of-mass 27.2%, indicating an margin stability implying improvement demonstrate that horizontal leg, improves walking.