Collagenous tendons store work: kangaroo

1 of 1 Kangaroo Jumping / Chris Bloke / License

Collagenous tendons in the legs of jumping kangaroos allow them to recover work done on the legs in landing by transferring much of the force of the muscles to bones.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

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[Collapse all sections] Summary

"What about the biological role of collagenous tendons? They usually run between the ends of a muscle and its attachments to bones, so the force (and shortening) of the muscle is transmitted to the bones. Work is stored--in a running person or hopping kangaroo about 40-50 percent of the work done on a leg in landing is recovered as it pushes off again (Alexander 1983). The leg tendons do most of that storage despite their low mass relative to bones, muscles, or the animal as a whole." (Vogel 2003: 345)

About the inspiring organism

Macropus
Macropus

Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Pumps that recapture input energy. More efficient machines.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Mechanical engineering, manufacturing

References

Steven Vogel. 2003. Comparative Biomechanics: Life's Physical World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 580 p.

Collagenous tendons store work: kangaroo

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