The cover:



The journal paper:

Distributed mechanical feedback in arthropods and robots simplifies control of rapid running on challenging terrain, Joseph C. Spagna, Daniel I. Goldman, Pei-Chun Lin, Daniel E. Koditschek and Robert J. Full, Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, 2 9-18 (2007) , link to paper 

Multimedia enhancements

This article's multimedia enhancements are given below. Each file carries a brief description and is also referred to at appropriate places in the main text of the article.
 

Movie 1 (384 kB MOV). The spider (Hololena adnexa) runs rapidly on its natural substrate, juniper bush. Movie slowed 1/5 actual speed.

Movie 2 (193 kB MOV). A spider (Hololena adnexa) runs across simulated brush (wire mesh (2.8 mm)²) at 22 cm sec^-1 comparable to speed on solid ground. Movie slowed 1/25 actual speed.

Movie 3 (298 kB MOV). Spider (Hololena adnexa) running across (2.8 mm)² wire mesh showing interaction of distributed limb and spines with wire mesh. Movie slowed 1/50 actual speed.

Movie 4 (333 kB MOV). American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) with tarsi removed running rapidly across wire mesh (6 mm)² at 54 cm sec^-1, comparable to the speed on solid ground and with tarsi intact. Movie slowed 1/50 actual speed.

Movie 5 (943 kB MOV). The ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) misstepped frequently during runs across (1.3 mm)² wire mesh. Missteps resulted in animals slowing down to zero. Movie slowed 1/20 actual speed.

Movie 6 (745 kB MOV). Ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) with added prosthetic spines ran successfully across (1.3 mm)² wire mesh with few missteps. Movie slowed 1/20 actual speed.

Movie 7 (397 kB MOV). RHex, the robot hexapod, fails on (76.2 mm)² mesh using a leg with a small rubber foot and no broad area of contact.

Movie 8 (820 kB MOV). RHex succeeds on mesh using a leg with distributed contact area and collapsible spines.

Goldman's website here

Spagna's website here

Full's website here

Koditschek's website here

Lin's website here