A Biologically Inspired Controller for Hexapod Walking: Simple Solutions by Exploiting Physical Properties
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2001
Publication Title
Biological Bulletin
Disciplines
Biology
Abstract
The locomotor system of slowly walking insects is well suited for coping with highly irregular terrain and therefore might represent a paragon for an artificial six-legged walking machine. Our investigations of the stick insect Carausius morosus indicate that these animals gain their adaptivity and flexibility mainly from the extremely decentralized organization of the control system that generates the leg movements. Neither the movement of a single leg nor the coordination of all six legs (i.e., the gait) appears to be centrally pre-programmed. Thus, instead of using a single, central controller with global knowledge, each leg appears to possess its own controller with only procedural knowledge for the generation of the leg's movement. This is possible because exploiting the physical properties avoids the need for complete information on the geometry of the system that would be a prerequisite for explicitly solving the problems. Hence, production of the gait is an emergent property of the whole system, in which each of the six single-leg controllers obeys a few simple and local rules in processing state-dependent information about its neighbors.
DOI
10.2307/1543315
Recommended Citation
Schmitz, J.; Dean, J.; Kindermann, T.; Schumm, M.; and Cruse, H., "A Biologically Inspired Controller for Hexapod Walking: Simple Solutions by Exploiting Physical Properties" (2001). Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications. 106.
https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/scibges_facpub/106
Volume
200
Issue
2
