The role of compliance in mammalian running gaits.
Abstract: The running gaits used by both bipedal and quadrupedal animals are reviewed and contrasted. At high speeds, bipeds use both ordinary running, in which the legs move opposite one another, and hopping. Quadrupeds generally use the trot or its variations at moderate speeds, and first the canter and then the gallop as speed increases. Running in both bipeds and quadrupeds generally involves at least one aerial phase per stride cycle, but certain perturbations to running including running in circles, running under enhanced gravity, running on compliant surfaces and running with increased knee flexion (Groucho running) can reduce the aerial phase, even to zero. A conceptual model of running based on the idea that an animal rebounds from the ground like a resonant mass-spring system may be used to compare the various gaits. The model makes specific predictions which show that galloping is generally faster than cantering, pronking or trotting, and requires lower peak vertical forces on the legs while also giving a smoother ride. Even so, trotting might be preferred to galloping at low and moderate speeds for the same reason that normal running is preferred to Groucho running-the more compliant gait offers a smoother ride and lower vertical ground-reaction forces on the feet, but this can only be obtained at a high cost of increased metabolic power.
Publication Date: 1985-03-01 PubMed ID: 4031769DOI: 10.1242/jeb.115.1.263Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The study explores the different running gaits used by bipedal and quadrupedal animals, and how several factors including the running environment and knee flexion may influence these gaits. The researchers use a mathematical model to explain why certain gaits are preferred over others depending on the speed and context.
Understanding Different Animal Gaits
- The paper discusses the running gaits of both bipedal animals (such as humans and birds) and quadrupedal animals (like horses and dogs).
- It explains how bipeds use ordinary running, where the legs move in opposition, and hopping when moving at high speeds.
- In contrast, quadrupeds use different running gaits — a trot for moderate speeds and a canter or gallop for faster speeds.
How Shall Gait Be Affected
- The research discusses how conditions like running in circles, running under increased gravity, on soft surfaces, or with increased knee bending (referred to as ‘Groucho running’) can decrease the aerial phase in running.
- The concept of an aerial phase is explained as an off-the-ground period during running, which can even be reduced to no aerial time under certain conditions.
A Mathematical Model for Understanding Gaits
- The researchers have introduced a mathematical model to compare different animal gaits.
- This model compares various running patterns by viewing an animal as a mass-spring system, focusing on how the animal rebounds off the ground during running.
Improved Commuting
- The model predicted that galloping is generally faster than other gaits like cantering, pronking or trotting, and it demands lower peak vertical leg forces, which may offer a more comfortable ride to the animal.
- Despite these advantages, the research suggests that for slow to moderate speeds, trotting might be preferred over galloping. The same logic applies to bipedal runners who prefer normal running over Groucho running.
- The study suggests that these more compliant gaits offer smoother movement and lower vertical ground reaction on the feet. However, they also increase metabolic power costs.
Cite This Article
APA
McMahon TA.
(1985).
The role of compliance in mammalian running gaits.
J Exp Biol, 115, 263-282.
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.115.1.263 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Compliance
- Gait
- Horses
- Humans
- Muscles / physiology
- Running
Citations
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