Related papers: Variational and phase response analysis for limit …
Animals exhibit remarkable feats of behavioral flexibility and multifunctional control that remain challenging for robotic systems. The neural and morphological basis of multifunctionality in animals can provide a source of bio-inspiration…
Robust control of complex engineered and biological systems hinges on the integration of feedforward and feedback mechanisms. This is exemplified in neural motor control, where feedforward muscle co-contraction complements sensory-driven…
In this paper, we present a novel framework for quantifying a lower bound on resilience in continuous-time (non)linear systems subject to external disturbances while ensuring satisfaction of signal temporal logic specifications. Unlike…
How do humans and animals perform trial-and-error learning when the space of possibilities is infinite? In a previous study, we used an interval timing production task and discovered an updating strategy in which the agent adjusted the…
Robust stability and stochastic stability have separately seen intense study in control theory for many decades. In this work we establish relations between these properties for discrete-time systems and employ them for robust control…
Although the raison d'etre of the brain is the survival of the body, there are relatively few theoretical studies of closed-loop rhythmic motor control systems. In this paper we provide a unified framework, based on variational analysis,…
This paper describes the design of a robust controller for position control in systems with sandwiched backlash. The backlash, which is nonsmooth and nonlinear, is inevitable in the operation of many systems, but it can have destructive…
Cellular migration is crucial for biological processes including embryonic development, immune response, and wound healing. The myosin-clutch model is a framework that describes how cells control migration through the interactions between…
Living systems can use a single periphery to perform a variety of tasks and adapt to a dynamic environment. This multifunctionality is achieved through the use of neural circuitry that adaptively controls the reconfigurable musculature.…
Recurrent neural network-based reinforcement learning systems are capable of complex motor control tasks such as locomotion and manipulation, however, much of their underlying mechanisms still remain difficult to interpret. Our aim is to…
Similar activity patterns may arise from model neural networks with distinct coupling properties and individual unit dynamics. These similar patterns may, however, respond differently to parameter variations and, specifically, to tuning of…
Backpropagation-optimized artificial neural networks, while precise, lack robustness, leading to unforeseen behaviors that affect their safety. Biological neural systems do solve some of these issues already. Unlike artificial models,…
Biomolecular oscillators can function robustly in the presence of environmental perturbations, which can either be static or dynamic. While the effect of different circuit parameters and mechanisms on the robustness to steady perturbations…
Stylized models of the neurodynamics that underpin sensory motor control in animals are proposed and studied. The voluntary motions of animals are typically initiated by high level intentions created in the primary cortex through a…
In this Habilitation Thesis, I synthesize 10 years of work on the role of the motor system in sensorimotor decision-making. First, a large part of the work we initially performed (2014-2020) questioned the functional role of the motor…
We consider the dynamics of a rigid filament in a motor protein assay under external loading. The motor proteins are modeled as active harmonic linkers with tail ends immobilized on a substrate. Their heads attach to the filament…
Typically, AI researchers and roboticists try to realize intelligent behavior in machines by tuning parameters of a predefined structure (body plan and/or neural network architecture) using evolutionary or learning algorithms. Another but…
Long, elastic filaments cross-linked and deformed by active molecular motors occur in various natural settings. The overall macroscopic mechanical response of such a composite network depends on the coupling between the active and the…
For a non-linear MIMO feedback system, the robustness against uncertain time-variations in the feedback loop is investigated in an input-output framework. A general sufficient condition in terms of a bound on average rates of time-variation…
Precise temporal coordination of gene expression is crucial for many developmental processes. One central question in developmental biology is how such coordinated expression patterns are robustly controlled. During embryonic development of…