The 'tolt', 'amble' or 'running walk' is a strange gait used by elephants, some primates, and some horse breeds. Should it be considered a 'walk' or a 'run'?

Here, we use inertial sensor and GPS data measured on Icelandic horses to train a computer to distinguish between 'walking' and 'running' (trotting or pacing).

The software then works out the best way of distinguishing walking from running and finds that tölt looks more like a run than a walk. This certainly is not the last word on the subject, but represents one more step towards understanding this 'mechanically ambiguous' gait.

Journal of the Royal Society Interface

Journal of the Royal Society Interface is the Society's cross-disciplinary publication promoting research at the interface between the physical and life sciences. It offers rapidity, visibility and high-quality peer review and is ranked fifth in JCR's multidisciplinary category. The journal also incorporates Interface Focus, a peer-reviewed, themed supplement, each issue of which concentrates on a specific cross-disciplinary subject.

Journal of the Royal Society Interface