Centre of Gravity Movement in the Standing Human Body

Abstract

THE position of the centre of gravity of the human body has been measured in a wide range of conditions, but in many cases a high degree of accuracy was not possible because of the crude nature of the equipment. Much less work has been carried out on the movement of the centre of gravity in quasi-static conditions, but similar remarks apply to the accuracy of the results. For the erect human body the swaying motion associated with long durations of standing is readily observed, but measurements of this movement are rare. Hellebrandt¹ recorded a series of positions of the centre of gravity to determine an average location, while Contini et al.² describe apparatus by which such measurements may be made but do not seem to have produced any continuous record of the movement of the centre of gravity.