Ribak (2024)

My research team studies the hydrodynamics of foot propulsion in waterfowl in general and diving birds in particular. We use captive birds trained to swim underwater in a large pool facility designed to capture the motions of the birds and their feet underwater using high-speed video. We then analyze the movies to extract paddling kinematics and model the associated hydrodynamics and energy expenditure. Specifically, we are currently developing biomechanical models that link foot kinematics with accelerometer data and energy expenditure during swimming.