The Shape of Life . The Conquerors

Really, I'm interested in [arthropods'] movements so you can discover the secrets of how their muscles and their skeletons work to allow them to move so wonderfully in the environment. -- Robert Full

Robert Full with a Centipede

Video: Full investigates how arthropods move

In his lab at the University of California, Berkeley, Biologist Robert Full uses equipment often applied to study the motion of Olympic athletes. But Full's subjects aren't speed skaters, shot putters or competitive swimmers; they're amphibians, reptiles and arthropods.

Full observed that arthropods are masterful movers. They successfully scamper over difficult terrain, and some move incredibly fast. (His lab found that the American cockroach is one of the world's fastest insects.)

After analyzing the animals' movements, Full reached some interesting conclusions. He found that the arthropod body plan is well designed for efficient and stable locomotion. Jointed legs serve as springs, struts and shock absorbers for the animal. As they walk or run, many arthropods keep three legs on the ground at once, making them particularly stable. (A three-legged stool never wobbles.)

He also discovered that locomotion takes very little brainpower, allowing the creatures' simple nervous systems the ability to focus on more complex tasks.

Full's work has applications beyond biology. He has helped the animators of Disney's A Bug's Life make their characters' movements more lifelike. And engineers have used Full's research to design undersea robots that move like arthropods.

Berkeley, CA
	Robert Full Biography and Career Q & A