This research was designed to investigate biomechanical aspects of the evolution based on the hypothesis of dynamic cooperative interactions between the locomotion pattern and the body shape in the evolution of human bipedal walking. The musculoskeletal model used in the computer simulation consisted of 12 rigid segments and 26 muscles. The nervous system was represented by 18 rhythmic pattern generators. The genetic algorithm was employed based on the natural selection theory to represent the evolutionary mechanism. Evolutionary strategy was assumed to minimize the cost function that is weighted sum of the energy consumption, the muscular fatigue and the load on the skeletal system. The simulation results showed that repeated manipulations of the genetic algorithm resulted in the change of body shape and locomotion pattern from those of chimpanzee to those of human. It was suggested that improving locomotive efficiency and the load on the musculoskeletal system are feasible factors driving the evolution of the human body shape and the bipedal locomotion pattern. The hypothetical evolution method employed in this study can be a new powerful tool for investigation of the evolution process.
