Understanding how legs work
APR 06, 2010
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.024222
ScienceNOW : If efficiency were all that matters, animals would hobble around like pirates with two peg legs. That’s because, mathematically speaking, running with stiff legs requires less energy. But humans and many other animals have “squishy” legs, and a new simulation suggests why. When attached to real, floppy bodies, so-called compliant legs prove more efficient, absorbing more force and offering more stability in rough terrain. The finding helps explain the long-puzzling paradox of why animals crouch and bounce as they run and may change how researchers model animal locomotion.
© 2010 American Institute of Physics
