Perturbation
- Wings as inertial appendages: how bats recover from aerial stumbles
Highlighted Article: Bats rapidly recover from substantial disturbances to body orientation within one wingbeat, relying primarily upon inertial torques generated from left–right asymmetry in wingbeat kinematics.
- Ground reaction forces intersect above the center of mass even when walking down visible and camouflaged curbs
Highlighted Article: In human walking, ground reaction forces are directed to a point above the center of mass to promote whole-body stability. This is also observed in camouflaged curb negotiation.
- Avoiding topsy-turvy: how Anna's hummingbirds (Calypte anna) fly through upward gusts
Summary: Hummingbirds flying through intense upward gusts experience pronounced downward pitching motions (i.e. nose dives). In response, they interrupt flapping, hold the wings dorsally, and angle and fan the tail.
- Development of a vortex generator to perturb fish locomotion
Summary: Development and calibration of a vortex generator to investigate the stiffness of fish fins during natural swimming.