Squirrels are parkour masters, running on walls, leaping onto bendy branches, and recovering gracefully from missed landings. UC Berkeley researchers studied squirrels on campus to understand the fantastic biomechanics behind their balance and agility. Eventually, these insights could inform the development of new mobile robots, says UC Berkeley integrative biologist Robert Full whose laboratory has previously demonstrated robot designs inspired by geckos, cockroaches, and other animals. — Read the rest
