(a) Load applicator at the hip and (b) fixator at the top of the sacrum. The elements representing the bone are shown in light gray, with the two layers of soft elements (from left to right in (a) and top to bottom in (b)) in red and the two layers of stiffer elements in blue (dark blue represents the stiffest layer of elements in the hip applicator). In addition, the black arrow illustrates the peak load applied on the hip joint during walking (see color figure online)