Subject collection: Comparative biomechanics of movement
- Lower extremity joints and muscle groups in the human locomotor system alter mechanical functions to meet task demand
Summary: Joints and muscle groups in the human locomotor system alter their mechanical function to meet demands of the locomotor task being performed.
- High-speed locomotion in the Saharan silver ant, Cataglyphis bombycina
Highlighted Article: The Saharan silver ant performs high-speed locomotion with a characteristic high stride frequency, achieved by a combination of short stance phases and fast leg swing movements.
- Specialized landing maneuvers in Spix's disk-winged bats (Thyroptera tricolor) reveal linkage between roosting ecology and landing biomechanics
Highlighted Article: Bats with suction cups on their wrists and feet perform specialized maneuvers to land in specialized roosts, furled leaf tubes, suggesting linkage between roosting ecology and landing mechanics in bats.
- How humans initiate energy optimization and converge on their optimal gaits
Summary: Combining human experiments with computational reinforcement learning models reveals how the nervous system discovers energy optimal gaits.
- Jumping and take-off in a winged scorpion fly (Mecoptera, Panorpa communis)
Summary: High-speed video analysis of jumping in a species of scorpion fly shows that it uses the middle and hind legs for propulsion. Accompanying movements of the wings contribute little to take-off.
- Escape responses of fish: a review of the diversity in motor control, kinematics and behaviour
Summary: This Review focuses on the diversity of the kinematics and neural control of escape responses and other accelerative motions that are of fundamental importance for predator–prey interactions and in other behavioural contexts.
- Yank: the time derivative of force is an important biomechanical variable in sensorimotor systems
Summary: We propose that the term ‘yank’ should be used to denote the time derivative of force; this will help elucidate the function of multi-scale structures and processes throughout the sensorimotor system.
- Connecting the legs with a spring improves human running economy
Highlighted Article: Connecting the legs with a spring assists runners in swinging their legs, enabling them to take faster, shorter, more efficient strides.
- Ground reaction forces of overground galloping in ridden Thoroughbred racehorses
Summary: Forces experienced by the limbs of racehorses during galloping increase with speed, concomitant with predictions from duty factor, though show an approximate 50:50 front:back impulse distribution, suggesting symmetry may be beneficial for injury avoidance.
- Effects of natural wing damage on flight performance in Morpho butterflies: what can it tell us about wing shape evolution?
Summary: Investigation of natural wing damage in Morpho butterflies shows that flight performance depends on damage location, indicating that different wing parts play different roles during flight.