Penguins Waddle but They Don't Fall Down

 
Penguins are the quintessence of
cute; © Uni Houston

Dozens of teeter-tottering penguins are the subjects of a research project of a professor who is investigating balance and locomotion.

"Penguins may have an elegant movement strategy for stability that we're unaware of," said Max Kurz, University of Houston (UH) Health and Human Performance professor. Kurz hopes that learning about the penguin's distinctive waddle will help those with walking challenges, such as the elderly, those with leg or foot injuries and toddlers learning to walk. The research findings could even allow the development of more mobile robots.

His study on walking stability features dozens of King penguins from Moody Gardens in Galveston. Kurz believes the penguins have learned to use the waddling motion in a way that makes their movements more efficient, adjusting for the limitations of the size of their legs and their weight. Humans have not developed such a mechanism to adjust for such dramatic side-to-side motion.

"We can envision a scenario where elderly may be able to put their walkers or canes down because they've learned to make the same adjustments in their walking patterns," Kurz said. Another application for this research involves the construction of sophisticated robots. Kurz said it is very expensive to construct a robot that can successfully adjust to side to side, or medial-lateral, motion. His research can be used to build smaller computers for such robots that will become increasingly more life-like.

To facilitate his study, Kurz has created a special platform that contains a pressure mat. As penguins walk across the mat, it measures the variability in the width and length of their steps. King penguins were chosen because of their hefty size. The data will provide insight into the natural mechanics and stability of the penguins' walking patterns.

"This research also may have real applications in addressing skeletal deformities that occasionally occur in captive penguins. By establishing the normal mechanics of penguin walking, we can better understand how to recognize and deal with abnormalities," said Greg Whittaker, Moody Gardens animal husbandry manager.

His current research will provide a springboard for future studies on the unique locomotive strategies of penguins. Next, he will examine the running patterns of the penguins.

- More information on the University of Houston at: www.uh.edu

( Source: REHACARE.de )

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