Central pattern generator for legged locomotion: a mathematical approach

This paper is a survey of the work done by Pinto and Golubitsky [13] concerning two models of central pattern generators, one for leg rhythms in bipeds and the other for arm and leg interlimb coordination patterns in bipeds. We focus on the model proposed for the rhythms of leg movements, leg. We use a mathematical approach, based on symmetry techniques, to study the periodic solutions produced by network leg and to show how these solutions with specific spatiotemporal symmetries may be associated with the rhythms of known biped gaits. Patterns produced by leg correspond to the bipedal gaits of walk, run, two-legged hop, two-legged jump, skip, gallop, asymmetric hop, and one-legged hop.