LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Human Evolutionary Biomechanics Lab (Ogihara Lab)
Machine-translated · View original
The lab explores the evolution of the form and movement of the human body through mechanics and simulation.
AboutAbout the lab
Decoding the evolution of the body through mechanics
The Human Evolutionary Biomechanics Lab studies why the skeletal and muscular structures of the human body have come to take their present form.
From a mechanical perspective, the lab aims to clarify the evolution of motor functions unique to humans, such as upright bipedal locomotion and the ability to grasp objects precisely.
The lab mainly uses three-dimensional shape analysis based on CT images, movement analysis using methods such as motion capture, and simulation with musculoskeletal models.
The lab is also pursuing research that applies its findings to the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal diseases.
Key terms
- Upright bipedal locomotion
- Walking on two legs with the back straight. A gait unique to humans among animals
- Motion capture
- A method of recording the movements of people or animals as three-dimensional data by tracking markers attached to the body with cameras
- Musculoskeletal model
- A computer reproduction of the structure of bones, joints, and muscles. Used to investigate movement through calculation
- Inverse dynamics
- A method of calculating backward from measured movement and ground reaction forces to estimate the forces produced by joints and muscles
NewsLab news
A study comparing the motion of the subtalar joint in humans, great apes, and macaques was published in the Journal of Biomechanics
A study comparing the elastic energy of the plantar aponeurosis in walking and running was published in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology
An encyclopedia of anthropology was published by Maruzen Publishing
A paper by Assistant Professor Amano received the Brain Structure & Function 2026 Best Article Award
A doctoral student received the Journal of Human Evolution Early Career Research Paper Awards
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to clarify, from a mechanical perspective, the motor functions of humans and other primates and the mechanisms by which the structure of the body evolved. Its main methods are biomechanical analysis based on measured data and computer simulation.
*Illustrative imageWalking Simulation
The lab builds detailed musculoskeletal models of primates, including humans, together with mathematical models of the sensory and motor neural systems that generate walking, and reproduces bipedal locomotion inside the computer.
*Illustrative imageBipedal Locomotion Seen Through Inverse Dynamics
The lab performs inverse dynamics analysis of bipedal locomotion to investigate the relationship between locomotor efficiency during walking and musculoskeletal structure.
*Illustrative imageAdaptation to Perturbations During Walking
The lab applies perturbations to people while they walk on a split-belt treadmill, and analyzes the mechanisms by which their gait adapts to those perturbations.
*Illustrative imageMonitoring Everyday Walking
The lab is building a system that monitors walking in daily life using 9-axis sensors, which measure acceleration, angular velocity (gyroscope), and geomagnetism, each along 3 axes.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Ogihara Lab are faculty members, project researchers and visiting collaborative researchers, doctoral and master's students, and graduate special research students.As of 2026
- ProfessorNaomichi OgiharaPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorHideki AmanoPublications ↗
- Project Assistant ProfessorKohei NishizawaPublications ↗
- Project Assistant ProfessorYuta ShimanePublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
Ratings and reviews reflect the experiences of individual current or former students, not the lab's official views. Whether a lab has reviews, or how many, says nothing about the lab itself.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
Student ratings (0 students)
--
--
--
--
--
--
Student voices answer questions like these
- What's great about this lab?
- What did you learn after joining?
- What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
- Who is this lab for?
- Where do graduates go?
Your experience can help younger students choose their lab. Your name won't be shown.
Write a lab reviewAnonymous · Your draft is saved if you stopRelatedLabs similar to Human Evolutionary Biomechanics Lab (Ogihara Lab)
Human Genome Diversity LabFaculty of Science, Department of Biological SciencesElucidating human evolutionary history from human genome div…
Evolutionary Anthropology LabFaculty of Science, Department of Biological SciencesResearch using theoretical models of human behavioral evolut…
Physical Anthropology LabFaculty of Science, Department of Biological SciencesHuman evolution and the variation and adaptation of human po…
Developmental Evolution LabFaculty of Science, Department of Biological SciencesRegulatory mechanisms of leaf development and their evolutio…The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Biomechanics lab with force plate” Apfriesen / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Walking Simulation: “Skeleton and muscles” Ryan Hoyme (massagenerds) / CC0 (cropped)
- Bipedal Locomotion Seen Through Inverse Dynamics: “Kistler plates” D. Gordon E. Robertson / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Adaptation to Perturbations During Walking: “A U.S. Airman walks on a treadmill during a gait analysis appointment at the 628th Medical Operations Squadron at Joint Base Charleston, S.C 130108-F-GE255-020” Staff Sgt. Anthony Hyatt / Public domain (cropped)
- Monitoring Everyday Walking: “Walking Silhouette (Unsplash)” Islam Hassan ishassan / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (ヒトゲノム
多様性研究室): “Japan (MODIS )” Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC / Public domain (cropped) - Related lab (進化人類学研究室): “Two chimpanzees grooming - DPLA - 3ec8c7eabe0f423d51184e06ee0f98ae” Garst, Warren, , photographer / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (形態人類学研究室): “Shanidar Cave5” Khoshhat / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (発生進化研究室(塚谷研)): “Leaf venation of Dorstenia” SebastianBlumeArt / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
About LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.