Related papers: Proprioceptive feedback modulates coordinating inf…
Motor systems show an overall robustness, but because they are highly nonlinear, understanding how they achieve robustness is difficult. In many rhythmic systems, robustness against perturbations involves response of both the shape and the…
Understanding principles of neurolocomotion requires the synthesis of neural activity, sensory feedback, and biomechanics. The nematode \textit{C. elegans} is an ideal model organism for studying locomotion in an integrated neuromechanical…
Animals move smoothly and reliably in unpredictable environments. Models of sensorimotor control have assumed that sensory information from the environment leads to actions, which then act back on the environment, creating a single,…
Motor control requires sensory feedback, and the nature of this feedback has implications for the tasks of the central nervous system (CNS): for an approximately linear mechanical system (e.g., a freely standing person, a rider on a…
Small inhibitory neuronal circuits have long been identified as key neuronal motifs to generate and modulate the coexisting rhythms of various motor functions. Our paper highlights the role of a cellular switching mechanism to orchestrate…
Larval zebrafish exhibit a variety of complex undulatory swimming patterns. This repertoire is controlled by the 300 neurons projecting from brain into spinal cord. Understanding how descending control signals shape the output of spinal…
Many organisms navigate gradients by alternating straight motions (runs) with random reorientations (tumbles), transiently suppressing tumbles whenever attractant signal increases. This induces a functional coupling between movement and…
Understanding efficient fish locomotion offers insights for biomechanics, fluid dynamics, and engineering. Traditional studies often miss the link between neuromuscular control and whole-body movement. To explore energy transfer in…
Small continuous sensory and mechanical perturbations have often been used to identify properties of the closed-loop neural control of posture and other systems that are approximately linear time invariant. Here we extend this approach to…
Small groups of interneurons, abbreviated by CPG for central pattern generators, are arranged into neural networks to generate a variety of core bursting rhythms with specific phase-locked states, on distinct time scales, that govern vital…
How dynamic interactions between nervous system regions in mammals performs online motor control remains an unsolved problem. In this paper we show that feedback control is a simple, yet powerful way to understand the neural dynamics of…
Proprioception is a human sense that provides feedback from muscles and joints about body position and motion. This key capability keeps us upright, moving, and responding quickly to slips or stumbles. In this paper we discuss a…
Systems of motile microorganisms exhibit a multitude of collective phenomena, including motility-induced phase separation and turbulence. Sensing of the environment and adaptation of movement plays an essential role in the emergent…
Brain state regulates sensory processing and motor control for adaptive behavior. Internal mechanisms of brain state control are well studied, but the role of external modulation from the environment is not well understood. Here, we…
Summary: Walking is regulated through the motorcontrol system (MCS). The MCS consists of a network of neurons from the central nervous system (CNS) and the intraspinal nervous system (INS), which is capable of producing a syncopated output.…
The weakly electric fish \emph{Eigenmannia virescens} naturally swims back and forth to stay within a moving refuge, tracking its motion using visual and electrosensory feedback. Previous experiments show that when the refuge oscillates as…
We present a model of a crawler consisting of several suction units distributed along a straight line and connected by springs. The suction units are rudimentary proprioceptors-actuators, which sense binary states of compression vs…
Animals possess a remarkable ability to navigate challenging terrains, achieved through the interplay of various pathways between the brain, central pattern generators (CPGs) in the spinal cord, and musculoskeletal system. Traditional…
Human beings and other vertebrates show remarkable performance and efficiency in locomotion, but the functioning of their biological control systems for locomotion is still only partially understood. The basic patterns and timing for…
Inspired by spiking neural feedback, we propose a spiking controller for efficient locomotion in a soft robotic crawler. Its bistability, akin to neural fast positive feedback, combined with a sensorimotor slow negative feedback loop,…