Biomechanics of moving animals
Animals have evolved amazing movement systems, ranging from the rapidly beating wings of flying flies and the flexible undulating body of swimming fish, to the precisely controlled cuttlefish arm for catching and manipulating prey. To unravel how natural movement systems function, we study the biomechanics and neuro-muscular control of moving animals.
This research requires a highly interdisciplinary research approach, and so our scientific team consists of biologists, physicists, and engineers. Our animal movement research is divided into two sub-themes:
1) Bio-fluid Mechanics of Animal Flight.
Insects, birds and bats have amazing flight capabilities, and especially in manoeuvrability natural flyers outperform any human-made flying device. We study the aerodynamics and control of animal flight, whereby we use mosquitoes, bumblebees, and pied flycatchers as our model organisms. These animals are not only highly specialized flyers, but the flycatcher is also an excellent model organism for movement ecology research, and mosquitoes and bumblebees are of high societal relevance. Bumblebees are important pollinators in both nature and agriculture, whereas the mosquito is the most dangerous animal in the world. Therefore, our animal flight research has both fundamental and applied value.
2) Bio-fluid Mechanics of Animal Swimming.
For our swimming research we focus on swimming of zebrafish, cuttlefish and flatfish. Zebrafish are model species for fish locomotion, and in this context we study the underlying bio-fluid mechanics and neuro-muscular control. Cuttlefish use both undulating fins and jet propulsion to precisely control their position and orientation during swimming. We study the biomechanics, hydrodynamics and control of this complex dual-mode locomotory system. Flatfish have evolved a highly specialized locomotory system that allows them to dig into a substrate and rapidly emerge from it when evading predators. Knowledge about this behavior will be used to develop new sustainable fishing techniques with minimal impact on the seabed and reduced CO2 emissions.
Applications of our work
Our applied work is aimed at providing bio-inspiration for human-engineered flyers, and to address societal issues with respect to natural pollination and malaria mosquito control. Examples of our applied work:
Do you want to know more about biomechanics of moving animals? Please contact us.
Research themes
Biomechanics of moving animals
To unravel how natural movement systems function, we study the biomechanics and neuro-muscular control of moving animals.
Bioinspired design
In this research theme, we aim to answer the question: how can we learn from nature and translate this knowledge to our own designs and technologies?
Evolutionary biology
We study how complex adaptations evolve and what their developmental consequences are for maternal-fetal interactions during pregnancy.
Developmental zoology
How do cells in multicellular organisms (self-)organize to form a complex body plan with an amazing functional repertoire, including reproduction, the repair after injuries, and navigation to find food and mating partners?
Follow us on social media
Stay up-to-date and learn more through our social channel.