Diversity of Terrestrial Locomotor Design: Mechanics and Energetics

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This proposal examines how legged animals move on land. By studying the energetics and mechanics of a diverse group of animals, the findings will: 1) provide the general "rules" that animals follow for terrestrial locomotion; 2) aid in delineating the various ways in which muscles have been engineered; 3) lead to new questions in the integrated control of locomotion based on whole animal mechanics; 4) supply much needed data for ecological models focusing on the genetics and developmental aspects of locomotion; and 6) help reconstruct the origins of legged terrestrial locomotion. The applied benefits of the research include: 1) new designs for micro-machines and robots; 2) improvements on the design of vehicular legged-walking machines; and 3) generation of useful metabolic data for environmental impact studies and pest management.