Introduction
The Structure and Motion Laboratory is part of the Lifestyle Research Programme at the Royal Veterinary College. The research team includes vets, biologists, palaeontologists, engineers and computer scientists, supported by technical and administrative staff. Our research base is a modern 46m x 17m Faraday-caged laboratory at the College’s Hertfordshire campus housing state-of-the-art facilities for studying the biomechanics of locomotion; much experimental research is also undertaken in the field. The head of the lab is Professor Alan Wilson.
Structure and Motion
Animals, including ourselves, need to move to feed, to avoid becoming food, to find a mate, to compete and to indulge in complex behaviours such as play. Our goal is to answer fundamental questions relating to how and why animals are structured and move as they do, how movement is controlled and the limits to performance. We work with a wide range of animals, from horses, dogs and humans to dinosaurs, elephants, cheetahs, insects and birds.
A wide range of science and technology
One of the strengths of this team is the wide range of scientific disciplines represented. Questions about animal movement can be addressed from many different perspectives using, for instance, high-speed cameras, ultrasound, force plates and computer models. Technical expertise, together with our extensive facilities, also enables us to develop new technology to measure and analyse movement in ways not previously possible. 
This range of approaches is complemented by an equally wide range of investigations, from looking at tiny muscle fibre bundle contractions to investigating group dynamics in herds of animals and even phylogenetic analyses of broad evolutionary lineages. This makes the SML a very dynamic, exciting and productive research environment.
Recent News
May 2012
Dr. Stephanie Pierce of RVC, Prof. Jenny Clack of Cambridge and Prof. John R. Hutchinson of RVC published a new study in Nature on the 3D limb mobility of the early "land" animal Ichthyostega. More here, with extra images here.
May 2012
Why running birds don't trip up: a new paper in JEB by Daley and Birn-Jeffery explains how birds achieve stability on rough ground.
May 2012
Jim Usherwood and his team have shown how high heels and ostrich feet could improve limb prosthetics. Read the paper here.
March 2012
Cheetah-inspired robot sets new speed record! Professor Alan Wilson is part of the project team developing this robot. Read more about it in Businessweek and check out the video .