Skip to main content

The Horse’s Leg

Horses galloping

A Horse can gallop at a speed of up to 30 miles per hour (50 km/h). Although this involves considerable mechanical work, relatively little energy is spent. How is this possible? The secret is in the horse’s legs.

Consider what occurs when a horse gallops. Elastic muscle-tendon units absorb energy when the leg steps onto the ground, and much like a spring, they return it, propelling the horse forward.
Furthermore, at a gallop the horse’s legs vibrate at high frequencies that could injure its tendons. However, the muscles in the legs act as dampers. Researchers call this structure a “highly specialized muscle-tendon design” that provides both agility and strength.

Engineers are trying to imitate the design of the horse’s legs for use in four-legged robots. However, according to the Biomimetic Robotics Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the complexity of this design cannot be easily duplicated with current materials and engineering knowledge.

Popular posts from this blog

Beyonce’s Good Genes

Beyonce’ s good looks are definitely good genes. Here’s a 20-year-old baby faced Bey at the Golden Globes in 2001   (left)   and 15 years later ... the flawless singer -- who turns 35 this weekend -- at the MTV VMAs last week   (right) .
Read more

Oil—How It Affects You

HAVE you ever stopped to think what life for many would be like without petroleum and its products?   Oil made from petroleum is used to lubricate motor vehicles, bicycles, strollers, and other things with moving parts. Oil lessens friction, thus slowing the breakdown of machine components. But that is not all.  
Read more

An Overview of Indonesia

Land  Straddling the equator between Australia and continental Asia, Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago. Most of its more than 17,500 islands feature rugged mountains and dense tropical forests. With more than 100 active volcanoes, it is also the most active volcanic region on earth.
Read more