Motion of the upper limbs is often coupled to that of the lower limbs in human bipedal locomotion. It is unclear, however, whether the functional coupling between upper and lower limbs is bi-directional, i.e. whether arm movements can affect the lumbosacral locomotor circuitry. Here we tested the effects of voluntary rhythmic arm movements on the lower limbs. Participants lay horizontally on th...

It has been known for several years (Graham, 1972) that some insects do not walk with a constant body velocity. Rapid variations in forward velocity during each leg cycle have been found in locust (Burns, 1973), grasshopper (D. Graham, unpublished) and cricket (Weber, Thorson & Huber, 1981). The velocity variations are complex at slow speeds but in the tripod step pattern, used at the highest s...

In this paper, an action planning algorithm is presented for a reconfigurable hybrid leg–wheel mobile robot. Hybrid leg–wheel robots have recently receiving growing interest from the space community to explore planets, as they offer a solution to improve speed and mobility on uneven terrain. One critical issue connected with them is the study of an appropriate strategy to define when to use one...

In this paper we explore the mechanism of energy transfer between the single actuated DOF of a one-legged hopping robot and the remaining unactuated DOFs, during stable running. The concept of the energy transfer mechanism is laid out, after which follows an analytical study. Using this study, an initial controller is derived for the control of a simple SLIP model with friction in the leg and h...

The design of a simple biped robot primarily involves the control of balance. Controlling the direction of balance for a two legged walking robot typically means mimicking the human form and its walking locomotion. Even though the human locomotion approach is taken as the ultimate reference, gaits can be developed using less sophisticated methods. The ultimate aim is to maintain an upright tors...

This paper describes a minimalist mobile robot design approach that offers a high locomotive efficiency, and is therefore well suited to mesoscale robot design. The authors have incorporated this approach into the development of a dynamically controlled piezoelectrically actuated mesoscale robot quadruped. The design described utilizes a lightly damped skeletal structure that generates locomoti...

The strategies that humans use to control unsteady locomotion are not well understood. A "spring-mass" template comprised of a point mass bouncing on a sprung leg can approximate both center of mass movements and ground reaction forces during running in humans and other animals. Legged robots that operate as bouncing, "spring-mass" systems can maintain stable motion using relatively simple, dis...

A procedure for setting the objective parameters (forward velocity, step length, jumping height, angular momentum, landing and take-off configuration) for a mechanical prototype of a hopping robot with an articulated leg is presented. The goal is to obtain an energy efficient locomotion on irregular terrain, using torque and power limited electric actuators, as well as tuned passive actuation. ...

Ensembles of neuronal networks and sensory pathways participate in controlling the kinematic and dynamic parameters of animal movement necessary to achieve motor coordination. Determining the relative contribution of proprioceptive feedback is essential for understanding how animals sustain stable, coordinated locomotion in complex natural environments. Here, we focus on the role of chordotonal...

Neurobiological studies have shown that insects are able to adapt leg movements and posture for obstacle negotiation in changing environments. Moreover, the distance to an obstacle where an insect begins to climb is found to be a major parameter for successful obstacle negotiation. Inspired by these findings, we present an adaptive neural control mechanism for obstacle negotiation behavior in h...