title: Locomotive and reptation motion induced by internal force and friction.
abstract: We propose a simple mechanical model of locomotion induced by internal force and friction. We first construct a system of two elements as an analog of the bipedal motion. The internal force does not induce a directional motion by itself because of the action-reaction law, but a directional motion becomes possible by the control of the frictional force. The efficiency of these model systems is studied using an analogy to the heat engine. As a modified version of the two-element model, we construct a model that exhibits a bipedal motion similar to kinesin's motion of molecular motor. Next, we propose a linear chain model and a ladder model as an extension of the original two-element model. We find a transition from a straight to a snake-like motion in a ladder model by changing the strength of the internal force.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Science for Electronics and Materials, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, Kasuga, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidetsugu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
authors.forename: Taisuke
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishihara
mesh_terms: D017276:Friction; D016547:Kinesins / Q000378:metabolism; D008124:Locomotion; D008954:Models, Biological; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D016547:Kinesins