Reproducing Five Motor Behaviors in a Salamander Robot With Virtual Muscles and a Distributed CPG Controller Regulated by Drive Signals and Proprioceptive Feedback.

ABSTRACT: Diverse locomotor behaviors emerge from the interactions between the spinal central pattern generator (CPG), descending brain signals and sensory feedback. Salamander motor behaviors include swimming, struggling, forward underwater stepping, and forward and backward terrestrial stepping. Electromyographic and kinematic recordings of the trunk show that each of these five behaviors is characterized by specific patterns of muscle activation and body curvature. Electrophysiological recordings in isolated spinal cords show even more diverse patterns of activity. Using numerical modeling and robotics, we explored the mechanisms through which descending brain signals and proprioceptive feedback could take advantage of the flexibility of the spinal CPG to generate different motor patterns. Adapti

SUBMITTER: Knusel J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7786271 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature