title: Template for robust soft-body crawling with reflex-triggered gripping.
abstract: Caterpillars show a remarkable ability to get around in complex environments (e.g. tree branches). Part of this is attributable to crochets which allow the animal to firmly attach to a wide range of substrates. This introduces an additional challenge to locomotion, however, as the caterpillar needs a way to coordinate the release of the crochets and the activation of muscles to adjust body posture. Typical control models have focused on global coordination through a central pattern generator (CPG). This paper develops an alternative to the CPG, which accomplishes the same task and is robust to a wide range of body properties and control parameter variation. A one-dimensional model is proposed which consists of lumped masses connected by a network of springs, dampers and muscles. Computer simulations of the controller/model system are performed to verify its robustness and to permit comparison between the generated gaits and those observed in real caterpillars (specifically Manduca sexta.).
authors: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University, 024 Anderson Hall Medford, MA 02155, USA.
authors: Dieter W
authors: DW
authors: Schuldt
authors: Jason
authors: J
authors: Rife
authors: Barry
authors: B
authors: Trimmer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005121:Extremities / Q000502:physiology*; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology; D018402:Manduca / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods