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Wow... that reminded me of Mario Bros.
So, I've actually noticed since I was young that there aren't too many things in nature that don't take advantage of laziness from time to time... i.e. not expending energy when they don't have to...
Even Polar bears slide on the ice once in awhile.
Penguins understand that it takes less energy to propel themselves directly forward (laying on the ice) than it does to waddle to a destination, so they lay down and paddle their feet.
If you think about it, even basic running is Pulse and Glide, since you're only being propelled by each push off from your foot, while you're gliding until the other foot hits the ground for another propulsion.
Trees also P&G their growth, hence the light and dark rings in a cross-sectional view. So do Humans, hence "growth spurt". Those are getting away from propulsion and more toward generality, though.
More appropriately, most IC engines use pulse and glide as well. Only one cycle of 2 or 4 per piston is actually creating power, then it's relying on the work already created to propel the piston through the rest of each cycle, until it can make power again.
If nearly all things in nature and life use P&G, why are Humans so hard-pressed to accept it in driving?
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