Mobile platforms and air table arrangements for supporting an animal under investigation include a mobile platform and an underlying air table platform that defines a perforated upper surface and a plurality of apertures in fluid communication with a source of air under pressure. The mobile platform is adapted to glide over the perforated upper surface and includes a base defining an upwardly facing surface and a downwardly facing surface, at least one sidewall circumscribing the upwardly facing surface, and at least one partition wall dimensioned and arranged to divide the downwardly facing surface into a plurality of downwardly facing open compartments. The base defines a first profile having a first maximum dimension, and the perforated upper surface defines a second profile having a second maximum dimension, such that the ratio of the second maximum dimension to the first maximum dimension is less than 2 to 1.
