Why the Ankle-Foot Complex Is a Masterpiece of Engineering and a Rebuttal of “Bad Design” Arguments

Abstract

To perform agile bipedal movement, human feet must meet extremely demanding requirements in terms of compactness, flexibility, strength, joint movements, actuation, and control. These requirements are met through very sophisticated engineering solutions. This paper describes four highly specialised mechanical features of the ankle-foot complex that show a very high degree of complexity and fine-tuning: i) a