Postural body sway displacements for quiet standing subjects (measured with a new ultrasonic device) are reported. Two of the well known strategies for balancing, namely ankle and hip movements were probed. The data is modeled using a Fokker-Plank-Langevin stochastic theory. Both analytic and computer simulation techniques are employed. The Kramers transition rate for a fall is expressed as a function of experimental parameters. The root mean square velocity is especially important in determining the fall probability.
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/9907311,
title = {Posture Sway and the Transition Rate for a Fall},
author = {R. K. Koleva and A. Widom and D. Garelick and Meredith Harris},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/9907311},
year = {2007}
}