Excitable crawling

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Arbelaiz, Juncal, Franci, Alessio, Leonard, Naomi Ehrich, Sepulchre, Rodolphe, Bamieh, Bassam
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Arbelaiz, Juncal
Franci, Alessio
Leonard, Naomi Ehrich
Sepulchre, Rodolphe
Bamieh, Bassam
author_facet Arbelaiz, Juncal
Franci, Alessio
Leonard, Naomi Ehrich
Sepulchre, Rodolphe
Bamieh, Bassam
contents We propose and analyze the suitability of a spiking controller to engineer the locomotion of a soft robotic crawler. Inspired by the FitzHugh-Nagumo model of neural excitability, we design a bistable controller with an electrical flipflop circuit representation capable of generating spikes on-demand when coupled to the passive crawler mechanics. A proprioceptive sensory signal from the crawler mechanics turns bistability of the controller into a rhythmic spiking. The output voltage, in turn, activates the crawler's actuators to generate movement through peristaltic waves. We show through geometric analysis that this control strategy achieves endogenous crawling. The electro-mechanical sensorimotor interconnection provides embodied negative feedback regulation, facilitating locomotion. Dimensional analysis provides insights on the characteristic scales in the crawler's mechanical and electrical dynamics, and how they determine the crawling gait. Adaptive control of the electrical scales to optimally match the mechanical scales can be envisioned to achieve further efficiency, as in homeostatic regulation of neuronal circuits. Our approach can scale up to multiple sensorimotor loops inspired by biological central pattern generators.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_20593
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Excitable crawling
Arbelaiz, Juncal
Franci, Alessio
Leonard, Naomi Ehrich
Sepulchre, Rodolphe
Bamieh, Bassam
Systems and Control
Robotics
We propose and analyze the suitability of a spiking controller to engineer the locomotion of a soft robotic crawler. Inspired by the FitzHugh-Nagumo model of neural excitability, we design a bistable controller with an electrical flipflop circuit representation capable of generating spikes on-demand when coupled to the passive crawler mechanics. A proprioceptive sensory signal from the crawler mechanics turns bistability of the controller into a rhythmic spiking. The output voltage, in turn, activates the crawler's actuators to generate movement through peristaltic waves. We show through geometric analysis that this control strategy achieves endogenous crawling. The electro-mechanical sensorimotor interconnection provides embodied negative feedback regulation, facilitating locomotion. Dimensional analysis provides insights on the characteristic scales in the crawler's mechanical and electrical dynamics, and how they determine the crawling gait. Adaptive control of the electrical scales to optimally match the mechanical scales can be envisioned to achieve further efficiency, as in homeostatic regulation of neuronal circuits. Our approach can scale up to multiple sensorimotor loops inspired by biological central pattern generators.
title Excitable crawling
topic Systems and Control
Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.20593