The undulating tripod gait as a model of the locomotion of walking fish
Michael Ishida, Fidji Berio, Theodora Po, Narges Khadem Hosseini, Neil H Shubin, Valentina Di Santo, Fumiya Iida · 2026
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Description
Michael Ishida and colleagues model in 2026 a walking pattern shared by many fishes that move on land. Distant fish species with very different bodies use strikingly similar steps, hinting at shared mechanics. The pattern pairs a wavy body motion with alternating front contact points, like a moving tripod.
High-speed filming of the grey bichir set the basic timing and angles for the model. Values matched those of other walking fishes well enough to treat the pattern as general. Computer runs then varied body shape and joint motion to see what speeds travel most. Best performance landed near the settings the bichir actually uses. A robot built on the same simple plan also walked, which supports the model.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Michael Ishida, Fidji Berio, Theodora Po, Narges Khadem Hosseini, Neil H Shubin, Valentina Di Santo, Fumiya Iida |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 63 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |