biology

Biomechanics & Human Movement

The mechanics of the human body — gait cycle analysis, joint reaction forces, muscle force-velocity relationships, projectile physics of jumping, and postural balance stability.

biomechanicsgait analysisjoint loadingmuscle forcekinesiologyhuman movementbalance

Biomechanics applies the principles of classical mechanics to biological systems, revealing how muscles generate force, how joints bear loads during movement, and how the body maintains balance against gravity. From sports performance optimization to rehabilitation engineering and prosthetic design, biomechanical analysis transforms our understanding of human motion.

These simulations let you decompose the gait cycle, calculate joint reaction forces, explore the Hill muscle model, analyze vertical jump projectile trajectories, and test postural stability limits — all with real-time interactive controls and anatomically grounded equations.

5 interactive simulations

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Postural Balance & Stability

Simulate human balance — explore how center-of-mass position, base-of-support width, body height, and perturbation magnitude determine stability margin and fall risk

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Gait Cycle Analysis

Simulate the human gait cycle — explore how walking speed, stride length, leg length, and cadence affect stance phase, swing phase, and ground reaction forces

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Joint Reaction Forces

Simulate joint reaction forces — explore how body weight, muscle force, lever arms, and joint angle determine compressive and shear loads on the hip and knee

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Muscle Force-Velocity Relationship

Simulate the Hill muscle model — explore how contraction velocity, activation level, fiber length, and maximum isometric force determine muscle output

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Vertical Jump Projectile Analysis

Simulate the biomechanics of vertical jumping — explore how takeoff velocity, body mass, push-off depth, and air time determine jump height and ground reaction forces