title: Generation of complex motor patterns in american grasshopper via current-controlled thoracic electrical interfacing.
abstract: Micro-air vehicles (MAVs) have attracted attention for their potential application to military applications, environmental sensing, and search and rescue missions. While progress is being made toward fabrication of a completely human-engineered MAV, another promising approach seeks to interface to, and take control of, an insect's nervous system. Cyborg insects take advantage of their innate exquisite loco-motor, navigation, and sensing abilities. Recently, several groups have demonstrated the feasibility of radio-controlled flight in the hawkmoth and beetle via electrical neural interfaces. Here, we report a method for eliciting the "jump" response in the American grasshopper (S. Americana). We found that stimulating the metathoracic T3 ganglion with constant-current square wave pulses with amplitude 186 ± 40 μA and frequency 190 ± 13 Hz reproducibly evoked (≥95% success rate) the desired motor activity in N=3 test subjects. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an insect cyborg with a synchronous neuromuscular system.
authors.affiliation: Washington and Lee University, 204 W Washington Street, Lexington, VA 24450, USA.
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Giampalmo
authors.forename: Benjamin F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Absher
authors.forename: W Tucker
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Bourne
authors.forename: Lida E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Steves
authors.forename: Vassil V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Vodenski
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.forename: Jonathan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Erickson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003491:Cybernetics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000502:physiology; D005121:Extremities / Q000502:physiology*; D006110:Grasshoppers; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D013909:Thorax / Q000502:physiology