Righting and turning in mid-air using appendage inertia: reptile tails, analytical models and bio-inspired robots

Jusufi, Ardian; Kawano, Daniel T.; Libby, Thomas; Full, Robert J.

doi:10.1088/1748-3182/5/4/045001

Cited by 111 publications

(126 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Previous studies point towards the importance of the tail for stabilization during falling (Jusufi et al, 2008(Jusufi et al, , 2010(Jusufi et al, , 2011 and jumping (Gillis et al, 2009;Kuo et al, 2012;Libby et al, 2012) in lizards, and also when running in arboreal primates (Larson and Stern, 2006) and robots (Briggs et al, 2012). As a result, it is expected that tail loss could negatively impact an animal's locomotor performance; yet studies are conflicted in their conclusions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, tails have been shown to play an important role in dynamic stabilization during climbing (Jusufi et al, 2008), falling (Jusufi et al, 2008(Jusufi et al, , 2010(Jusufi et al, , 2011 and jumping (Gillis et al, 2009;Kuo et al, 2012;Libby et al, 2012) in geckos and anole lizards, and arboreal turning and running in primates (Larson and Stern, 2006). During vertical climbing, a gecko can counteract a slip-induced overturning moment by pushing its tail against the wall, much as one uses a bicycle stand to prevent a bicycle from falling over (Jusufi et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During vertical climbing, a gecko can counteract a slip-induced overturning moment by pushing its tail against the wall, much as one uses a bicycle stand to prevent a bicycle from falling over (Jusufi et al, 2008). When falling, a gecko can use the inertial properties of the tail to reorient the body and change how and where they land (Jusufi et al, 2008(Jusufi et al, , 2010(Jusufi et al, , 2011. Likewise, when jumping, lizards swing their tail to control body pitch angle (Higham et al, 2001;Gillis et al, 2009;Kuo et al, 2012;Libby et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tail loss and narrow surfaces decrease locomotor stability in the arboreal green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis)

Hsieh

2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Tails play an important role in dynamic stabilization during falling and jumping in lizards. Yet tail autotomy (the voluntary loss of an appendage) is a common mechanism used for predator evasion in these animals. How tail autotomy has an impact on locomotor performance and stability remains poorly understood. The goal of this study was to determine how tail loss affects running kinematics and performance in the arboreal green anole lizard, Anolis carolinensis. Lizards were run along four surface widths (9.5 mm, 15.9 mm, 19.0 mm and flat), before and following 75% tail autotomy. Results indicate that when perturbed with changes in surface breadth and tail condition, surface breadth tends to have greater impacts on locomotor performance than tail loss. Furthermore, while tail loss does have a destabilizing effect during regular running in these lizards, its function during steady locomotion is minimal. Instead, the tail probably plays a more active role during dynamic maneuvers that require dramatic changes in whole body orientation or center of mass trajectories.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tail loss and narrow surfaces decrease locomotor stability in the arboreal green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis)

Hsieh

2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Besides adjusting the centre of mass (CoM) close to the vector of propulsive thrust at take-off to avoid later body rotation [7,8], some jumpers actively use dynamic control for in-air stability. Two mechanisms have previously been proposed to counteract unwanted torque in the air: using the inertia of swinging appendages [9][10][11][12] and aerodynamic forces from flapping wings [6,7]. Take-off mechanisms and stability control that evolved in nature have led to significant progress in bioinspired designs for manoeuvrable jumping robots [11,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

More than a safety line: jump-stabilizing silk of salticids

Chen¹,

Liao

Tsai

et al. 2013

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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Salticids are diurnal hunters known for acute vision, remarkable predatory strategies and jumping ability. Like other jumpers, they strive for stability and smooth landings. Instead of using inertia from swinging appendages or aerodynamic forces by flapping wings as in other organisms, we show that salticids use a different mechanism for in-air stability by using dragline silk, which was previously believed to function solely as a safety line. Analyses from highspeed images of jumps by the salticid Hasarius adansoni demonstrate that despite being subject to rearward pitch at take-off, spiders with dragline silk can change body orientation in the air. Instantaneous drag and silk forces calculated from kinematic data further suggest a comparable contribution to deceleration and energy dissipation, and reveal that adjustments by the spider to the silk force can reverse its body pitch for a predictable and optimal landing. Without silk, upright-landing spiders would slip or even tumble, deferring completion of landing. Thus, for salticids, dragline silk is critical for dynamic stability and prey-capture efficiency. The dynamic functioning of dragline silk revealed in this study can advance the understanding of silk's physiological control over material properties and its significance to spider ecology and evolution, and also provide inspiration for future manoeuvrable robot designs.

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“…Work focusing on whether autotomy affects jumping shows that jump distance is not compromised by tail loss (Fleming and Bateman, 2012;Gillis et al, 2009). However, tails are likely to be important for stability to control landing, as they can be used as inertial appendages to control body position in mid-air (Jusufi et al, 2010) or can interact with the substrate during takeoff to prevent overrotation after the animal leaves the ground (Gillis et al, 2009). Indeed, landing coordination has now been shown to be compromised in autotomized individuals in multiple species: jumping green anoles, jumping Cape dwarf geckos and falling flat-tailed house geckos (Fleming and Bateman, 2012;Gillis et al, 2009Gillis et al, , 2013Jusufi et al, 2008).…”

Section: Jumpingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consequences of lost endings: caudal autotomy as a lens for focusing attention on tail function during locomotion

Gillis

Higham

2016

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Autotomy has evolved in many animal lineages as a means of predator escape, and involves the voluntary shedding of body parts. In vertebrates, caudal autotomy (or tail shedding) is the most common form, and it is particularly widespread in lizards. Here, we develop a framework for thinking about how tail loss can have fitness consequences, particularly through its impacts on locomotion. Caudal autotomy is fundamentally an alteration of morphology that affects an animal's mass and mass distribution. These morphological changes affect balance and stability, along with the performance of a range of locomotor activities, from running and climbing to jumping and swimming. These locomotor effects can impact on activities critical for survival and reproduction, including escaping predators, capturing prey and acquiring mates. In this Commentary, we first review work illustrating the (mostly) negative effects of tail loss on locomotor performance, and highlight what these consequences reveal about tail function during locomotion. We also identify important areas of future study, including the exploration of new behaviors (e.g. prey capture), increased use of biomechanical measurements and the incorporation of more field-based studies to continue to build our understanding of the tail, an ancestral and nearly ubiquitous feature of the vertebrate body plan.

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Righting and turning in mid-air using appendage inertia: reptile tails, analytical models and bio-inspired robots

Cited by 111 publications

References 27 publications

Tail loss and narrow surfaces decrease locomotor stability in the arboreal green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis)

Tail loss and narrow surfaces decrease locomotor stability in the arboreal green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis)

More than a safety line: jump-stabilizing silk of salticids

Consequences of lost endings: caudal autotomy as a lens for focusing attention on tail function during locomotion

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