Abstract
Much has been learned of both animal mechanics and pathology by studying gait with lab- and clinic-based measurements. Such studies tend to be restricted to linear, steady-speed or brief actions that may contrast with those of relevance to the daily life of the animal. Technological advances – of GPS, IMU, video and computational methods – are beginning to allow study of animal gait under field conditions with self-selected locomotor strategies. This project will exploit these technologies to study two related, but distinct, fields: gait selection in relation to reductionist biomechanical principles; and gait features in relation to physiology and pathology.
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