Combining biomechanics and movement ecology of kangaroos and relatives

袋鼠及其近亲的独特之处在于它们的体型、跳跃的步态以及速度的增加并不意味着能量的增加。该项目旨在建立3D肌肉骨骼模型，以了解肌肉和肌腱如何相互作用，从而使用更少的能量行驶更远的距离。此外，它将使用动物跟踪设备和机器学习工具来量化野生动物的运动。这个框架将为能量学、形态和栖息地如何塑造这一独特群体的进化提供新的见解。这可能为未来一系列生态学、生理学和保护研究打开大门，并为节能机器人和辅助设备提供生物学灵感。

Kangaroos and their relatives are unique in their body form, hopping gait and by the fact that increased speed does not come at an increased energetic cost. This project aims to build 3D musculoskeletal models to understand how muscles and tendons interact, enabling greater distances to be travelled using less energy. Further, it will use animal tracking devices and machine-learning tools to quantify movements in the wild. This framework will provide novel insights into how energetics, morphology, and habitat have shaped the evolution of this unique group. This may open doors to a range of future ecological, physiological, and conservation studies and provide biological inspiration for energetically efficient robotic and assistive devices.