RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Mobility as the purpose of postural control JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 110932 DO 10.1101/110932 A1 Charlotte Le Mouel A1 Romain Brette YR 2017 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/02/23/110932.abstract AB Counteracting the destabilizing force of gravity is usually considered to be the purpose of postural control. However, from the consideration of the mechanical requirements for movement, we argue that posture is adjusted in view of providing impetus for movement. Thus, we show that the posture that is usually adopted in quiet standing in fact allows torque for potential movement. Moreover, when performing a movement - either voluntarily or in response to an external perturbation - we show that the postural adjustments are organized both spatially and temporally so as to provide the required torque for the movement. Thus, when movement is performed skillfully, the force of gravity is not counteracted but actually used to provide impetus to movement. This ability to move one’s weight so as to exploit the torque of gravity seems crucial, especially for recovering one’s balance when a standing person is perturbed by an external force.