Animals prefer leg stiffness values that may reduce the energetic cost of locomotion

Despite the neuromechanical complexity and wide diversity of running animals, most run with a center-of-mass motion that is similar to a simple mass bouncing on a spring. Further, when animals׳ effective leg stiffness is measured and normalized for size and weight, the resulting relative leg stiffness that most animals prefer lies in a narrow range between 7 and 27. Understanding why this nearly universal preference exists could shed light on how whole animal behaviors are organized. Here we show that the biologically preferred values of relative leg stiffness coincide with a theoretical minimal energetic cost of locomotion. This result strongly implies that animals select and regulate leg stiffness in order to reduce the energy required to move, thus providing animals an energetic advantage. This result also helps explain how high level control targets such as energy efficiency might influence overall physiological parameters and the underlying neuromechanics that produce it. Overall, the theory presented here provides an explanation for the existence of a nearly universal preferred leg stiffness. Also, the results of this work are beneficial for understanding the principles underlying human and animal locomotion, as well as for the development of prosthetic, orthotic and robotic devices.