{"666351":{"#nid":"666351","#data":{"type":"news","title":"If We Could Walk Like The Animals: Scientists and Engineers Host Biomechanics Day at Zoo Atlanta","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFor STEAM enthusiasts across Atlanta, the month of March is a highlight of the year for one big reason: the Atlanta Science Festival. Learn more about all \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/cos-at-asf\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech-organized Festival events here\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EScientists and engineers study animal movements for clues on ways to improve lives for humans, such as designing better prosthetics or terrain-conquering robots. But that doesn\u2019t mean fun can\u2019t be a part of the research as well \u2014 as in asking kids to see how long they can stand on one leg \u003Cem\u003Ea la\u003C\/em\u003E flamingos.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThat was the energy on display Saturday, March 11,\u0026nbsp;for \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/atlantasciencefestival.org\/events-2023\/371-animals-in-motion\/\u0022\u003EAnimals in Motion: Biomechanics Day\u003C\/a\u003E at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/zooatlanta.org\/\u0022\u003EZoo Atlanta\u003C\/a\u003E, part of the 2023 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/atlantasciencefestival.org\/\u0022\u003EAtlanta Science Festival\u003C\/a\u003E. With help from biomechanics researchers from Georgia Tech, Clemson University, and the University of Akron, visitors gathered at several demonstration booths around the Zoo to learn more about wildlife and work exploring animal biomechanics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/joseph-mendelson\u0022\u003EJoe Mendelson\u003C\/a\u003E, adjunct professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E, is also director of Research for Zoo Atlanta. Mendelson says a Biomechanics Day was first scheduled for 2020 but ran headlong into the beginnings of the pandemic.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFinally, we get to assemble our colleagues and highlight their fun and innovative projects,\u201d he said, adding that the Atlanta Science Festival is the perfect place to attract researchers studying biomechanics of creatures as different as snakes, elephants, centipedes, and humans, as well.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThere are many benefits to knowing more about animal locomotion. \u201cAllowing people to see and understand familiar animals through a different light and comparing, for example, their locomotion to your own can be an effective way to generate interest and caring about animals by people,\u201d Mendelson said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EZoo Atlanta frequently collaborates with biomechanics researchers across Georgia\u0027s Tech\u0027s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECollege of Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECollege of Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E. Animals in Motion: Biomechanics Day highlighted those labs and their various projects, as well as other labs from around the country that are doing similar research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOne of those researchers, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/sawicki\u0022\u003EGreg Sawicki\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and the School of Biological Sciences, used ultrasound imaging to give Zoo Atlanta visitors an \u201cunder the skin\u201d look at how animal and human muscles work together with tendons to move the body.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe will look\u0026nbsp;at, and compare, calf muscles and the Achilles tendon in the leg with the biceps and biceps tendon in the arm,\u201d Sawicki said. \u201cZoo visitors will be\u0026nbsp;able to see for themselves the wide variety of structural features of muscle-tendon systems, ranging from short muscles and long compliant tendons for the calf to long muscles and short stiff tendons.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESawicki hoped his audience learned that different structural features of muscle-tendon systems \u201cmay have unique functional benefits in the wild \u2014 and an animal\u2019s limb design may be specifically adapted for their environmental niche.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/simon-sponberg\u0022\u003ESimon Sponberg\u003C\/a\u003E, Dunn Family Associate Professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchools of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E and Biological Sciences, wasn\u0027t able to\u0026nbsp;bring the live animals he works with \u2014 hawk moths \u2014 to the Animal Biomechanics Day. \u201cIt\u2019s for a variety of reasons, but mostly that they don\u2019t fly much during the day,\u201d Sponberg said. But visitors to Sponberg\u2019s booth explored different insect wing shapes to see how they help moths and other insects\u0026nbsp;move.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat we want\u0026nbsp;students to get out of it is that there are many different forms and functions a \u2018wing\u2019 can take,\u201d he added. \u201cSo we want\u0026nbsp;people to learn how we can use experiments to understand the link between structure, function, and performance, especially in flight.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt another section of Zoo Atlanta, adults and kids spent their time trying to balance on just one leg. It\u2019s unclear\u0026nbsp;if any of the nearby flamingos were impressed with the results, but \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/young-hui-chang\u0022\u003EYoung-Hui Chang\u003C\/a\u003E, professor and associate chair for Faculty Development in the School of Biological Sciences, says the balancing act is much easier for flamingos.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThey have to deal with the same physical challenges to stand in a stable way,\u201d Chang said. \u201cBiology tells us that, as vertebrates, flamingos are starting with many of the same muscles and bones of the leg that humans have. But, flamingos have evolved a way to use their limbs such that they can sleep standing on one leg with minimal involvement of the muscles, which would be impossible for us humans to do.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EChang studies flamingo biomechanics for the sheer sake of gaining knowledge about how nature works. But he adds that there are practical applications to the research. \u201cOne that has already been used by roboticists is the development of a \u2018flamingo bot\u2019 that uses the principles we\u2019ve discovered in the flamingo leg to help the robot conserve energy,\u201d Chang said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"On Saturday, March 11, scientists and engineers shared their biomechanics work with snakes, elephants, monkeys, flamingos, and other wildlife as part of the \u0022Animals in Motion: Biomechanics Day at Zoo Atlanta\u0022 during the 2023 Atlanta Science Festival."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOn Saturday, March 11, scientists and engineers shared their biomechanics work with snakes, elephants, monkeys, flamingos, and other wildlife as part of the \u0022Animals in Motion: Biomechanics Day at Zoo Atlanta\u0022 during the 2023 Atlanta Science Festival.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"On Saturday, March 11, scientists and engineers shared their biomechanics work with snakes, elephants, monkeys, flamingos, and other wildlife as part of the \u0022Animals in Motion: Biomechanics Day at Zoo Atlanta\u0022 during the 2023 Atlanta Science Festival."}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2023-03-01 21:06:55","changed_gmt":"2024-02-01 15:14:01","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-03-03T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2023-03-03T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"670385":{"id":"670385","type":"image","title":"Hank Zapple, 7, demonstrates how flamingos stand on one leg at Zoo Atlanta during the Atlanta Science Festival. (Photo Renay San Miguel)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EHank Zapple, 7, demonstrates how flamingos crouch to stand on one leg at Zoo Atlanta during the Atlanta Science Festival. (Photo Renay San Miguel)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1680269486","gmt_created":"2023-03-31 13:31:26","changed":"1680269486","gmt_changed":"2023-03-31 13:31:26","alt":"Hank Zapple, 7, demonstrates how flamingos crouch to stand on one leg at Zoo Atlanta during the Atlanta Science Festival. (Photo Renay San Miguel)","file":{"fid":"253225","name":"flamingo boy high-res.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/03\/31\/flamingo%20boy%20high-res.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/03\/31\/flamingo%20boy%20high-res.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3173603,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/03\/31\/flamingo%20boy%20high-res.jpg?itok=mhAki3Kd"}},"670386":{"id":"670386","type":"image","title":"Wells Jackson, 6, watches an ultrasound image of his muscles at Zoo Atlanta during the Atlanta Science Festival. (Photo Renay San Miguel)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EWells Jackson, 6, watches an ultrasound image of his muscles at Zoo Atlanta during the Atlanta Science Festival. (Photo Renay San Miguel)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1680269710","gmt_created":"2023-03-31 13:35:10","changed":"1680269710","gmt_changed":"2023-03-31 13:35:10","alt":"Wells Jackson, 6, watches an ultrasound image of his muscles at Zoo Atlanta during the Atlanta Science Festival. (Photo Renay San Miguel)","file":{"fid":"253226","name":"boy watches muscle ultrasound high-res.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/03\/31\/boy%20watches%20muscle%20ultrasound%20high-res.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/03\/31\/boy%20watches%20muscle%20ultrasound%20high-res.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2274089,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/03\/31\/boy%20watches%20muscle%20ultrasound%20high-res.jpg?itok=VngzVc_y"}},"670387":{"id":"670387","type":"image","title":"Journee Posey, 4, mimics an elephant painting with its trunk during Animal Biomechanics Day at Zoo Atlanta. (Photo Renay San Miguel). ","body":"\u003Cp\u003EJournee Posey, 4, mimics an elephant painting with its trunk during Animal Biomechanics Day at Zoo Atlanta. (Photo Renay San Miguel).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1680269952","gmt_created":"2023-03-31 13:39:12","changed":"1680269952","gmt_changed":"2023-03-31 13:39:12","alt":"Journee Posey, 4, mimics an elephant painting with its trunk during Animal Biomechanics Day at Zoo Atlanta. (Photo Renay San Miguel). ","file":{"fid":"253227","name":"painting like an elephant high-res.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/03\/31\/painting%20like%20an%20elephant%20high-res.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/03\/31\/painting%20like%20an%20elephant%20high-res.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2658443,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/03\/31\/painting%20like%20an%20elephant%20high-res.jpg?itok=URZnbsnF"}},"670388":{"id":"670388","type":"image","title":"A Zoo Atlanta guest keeps her eye on an elephant during the Atlanta Science Festival. (Photo Renay San Miguel)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA Zoo Atlanta guest keeps her eye on an elephant during the Atlanta Science Festival. (Photo Renay San Miguel).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1680270457","gmt_created":"2023-03-31 13:47:37","changed":"1680270457","gmt_changed":"2023-03-31 13:47:37","alt":"A Zoo Atlanta guest keeps her eye on an elephant during the Atlanta Science Festival. 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Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":"166937","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"6765","name":"zoo atlanta"},{"id":"66491","name":"Atlanta Science Festival"},{"id":"179276","name":"joe mendelson"},{"id":"170414","name":"Simon Sponberg"},{"id":"168801","name":"Greg Sawicki"},{"id":"169203","name":"Young-Hui Chang"},{"id":"192247","name":"animal biomechanics"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"192253","name":"cos-neuro"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"},{"id":"39521","name":"Robotics"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\/Science Writer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}