A biologically based neural system coordinates the joints and legs of a tetrapod

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
Alexander HuntRoger D Quinn

Abstract

A biologically inspired neural control system has been developed that coordinates a tetrapod trotting gait in the sagittal plane. The developed neuromechanical system is used to explore properties of connections in inter-leg and intra-leg coordination. The neural controller is built with biologically based neurons and synapses, and connections are based on data from literature where available. It is applied to a planar biomechanical model of a rat with 14 joints, each actuated by a pair of antagonistic Hill muscle models. The controller generates tension in the muscles through activation of simulated motoneurons. The hind leg and inter-leg control networks are based on pathways discovered in cat research tuned to the kinematic motions of a rat. The foreleg network was developed by extrapolating analogous pathways from the hind legs. The formulated intra-leg and inter-leg networks properly coordinate the joints and produce motions similar to those of a walking rat. Changing the strength of a single inter-leg connection is sufficient to account for differences in phase timing in different trotting rats.

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Citations

Apr 20, 2017·Frontiers in Neurorobotics·Alexander HuntRoger Quinn
Jan 8, 2017·Biological cybernetics·César Ferreira, Cristina P Santos
Aug 30, 2017·Frontiers in Neurorobotics·Nicholas S SzczecinskiRoger D Quinn
Apr 9, 2020·Brain Sciences·Ross Howard Sanders, Daniel J Levitin
Mar 17, 2017·Journal of Neurophysiology·Alain Frigon
Feb 23, 2017·Biological cybernetics·Nicholas S SzczecinskiRoger D Quinn
May 21, 2019·Biomimetics·Kaiyu DengAlexander J Hunt
Feb 6, 2020·Frontiers in Neuroscience·Misaki ToedaDai Yanagihara
Dec 11, 2020·Biological cybernetics·Victoria A Webster-WoodHillel J Chiel

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