An example of an Australian lizard, in this case the Gippsland Water Dragon, running on two legs. (Credit: David Paul).
Robots may one day tackle obstacles and traverse uneven terrains thanks to collaborative research analysing the motion of lizards. The study, which featured a University of Queensland researcher, used a slow motion camera to capture the nuanced movement of eight species of Australian agamid lizards that run on two legs - an action known as 'bipedal' movement. UQ School of Biological Sciences researcher Nicholas Wu said the study's findings challenged existing mathematical models based on the animals' movement. "There was an existing understanding that the backwards shift in these lizards' centre of mass, combined with quick bursts of acceleration, caused them to start running on two legs at a certain point," he said. "It's just like a motorcycle driver doing a 'wheelie'. "What we found though is that some lizards run bipedally sooner than expected, by moving their body back and winging their tail up. "This means that they could run bipedally for longer, perhaps to overcome obstacles in their path." Lead author Christofer Clemente from the University of the Sunshine Coast said these results may have important implications for the design of bio-inspired robotic devices.
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