A hexapedal jointed-leg model for insect locomotion in the horizontal plane |
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Authors: | Raghavendra P Kukillaya Philip J Holmes |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA;(2) Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA |
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Abstract: | We develop a simple model for insect locomotion in the horizontal (ground) plane. As in earlier work by Seipel et al. (Biol
Cybern 91(0):76–90, 2004) we employ six actuated legs that also contain passive springs, but the legs, with “hip” and ‘knee’
joints, better represent insect morphology. Actuation is provided via preferred angle inputs at each joint, corresponding
to zero torques in the hip and knee springs. The inputs are determined from estimates of foot forces in the cockroach Blaberus discoidalis via an inverse problem. The head–thorax–body is modeled as a single rigid body, and leg masses, inertia and joint dissipation
are ignored. The resulting three degree-of-freedom dynamical system, subject to feedforward joint inputs, exhibits stable
periodic gaits that compare well with observations over the insect’s typical speed range. The model’s response to impulsive
perturbations also matches that of freely-running cockroaches (Jindrich and Full, J Exp Biol 205:2803–2823, 2002), and stability
is maintained in the face of random foot touchdowns representative of real insects. We believe that this model will allow
incorporation of realistic muscle models driven by a central pattern generator in place of the joint actuators, and that it
will ultimately permit the study of proprioceptive feedback pathways involving leg force and joint angle sensing. |
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Keywords: | Insect locomotion Jointed legs Lateral leg spring model Hexapedal Periodic gait Poincaré map stability |
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