Leaping and falling generally lead to landing, which can be difficult to do. This study considers the problem as it involves cats and legged space robots:
“Analysis of Cushioned Landing Strategies of Cats Based on Posture Estimation,” Li Zhang, Liangliang Han, Haohang Liu, Rui Shi, Meiyang Zhang, Weijun Wang, Xuyan Hou, Biomimetic, vol. 13, no. 11, 2024, article 691. The authors explain:
“This article addresses the challenge of minimizing landing impacts for legged space robots during on-orbit operations. Inspired by the agility of cats, we investigate the role of forelimbs in the landing process.”