Search
WIT Press


Related conference

FRIAR 2022

FRIAR 2022

29 June-1 July 2022

Milan, Italy

Related Book

Design and Information in Biology

Edited By: J.A. Bryant, University of Exeter, UK; M.A. Atherton and M.W. Collins, Brunel University, UK

Insect Observations And Hexapod Design

Warning (2) : Undefined variable $subscription [in /var/www/dce7ae55-385b-4ffa-8595-3ec5e61ff110/public_html/app/templates/Papers/view.php, line 159]

Price

£23.00

Transaction

WIT Transactions on State-of-the-art in Science and Engineering

Volume

27

Pages

38

Published

2007

Size

1178 kb

Paper DOI

10.2495/978-1-85312-853-0/09

Copyright

WIT Press

Author(s)

M. Randall

Abstract

Chapter 9 Insect observations and hexapod design M. Randall Faculty of Engineering, University of West of England, Bristol, UK. Abstract The hexapod leg configuration for walking robots is described in relation to the stick insect. The role of hairs, sensory organs and receptors in leg functions such as mediating load compensation and obstacle avoidance is explained. Observations on gait reveal important factors for informing models of hexapod walking and leads on to strategies for dealing with rough terrains. 1 Introduction Nature has presented us with many ‘blueprints’ for hexapod machines in the form of millions of species of insects. The goal is not to re-create an insect in mechatronic form. Instead, in considering insect walking, the structure and nature of sensory machinery and the control processes employed by insects when walking over rough terrain, much can be learned that will inform the engineer when designing awalking machine, and particularly a hexapod. Here, a large volume of biological study is reviewed. The last section summarises the relevant findings for the design of the hexapod used in this research. In [1], we coined the term ‘intelligent hexapod bio-robotics’ to describe this field of research. There is a huge amount of literature on the subject of insect neurophysiology and neurobiology. For extensive reviews, readers are referred to [2, 3] and more recently [4, 5]. 2 Justification for biologically inspired engineering There are many reasons for considering a biological approach to robotics a useful direction for making a more sophisticated hexapod. It has been the experience of a number of researchers, particularly Beer and his colleagues at CaseWestern Reserve University, that ‘copying’ strategies employed by insects has only been beneficial to their work [6]. Some of the reasons follow. Mark Randall was only 29 years old when he died on 21 September 2000. Mark had been keen to contribute a chapter to this book and his wife, Emma, offered this chapter from Mark’s own book Adaptive Neural Control of Walking Robots, Professional Engineering Publishing, 2001.

Keywords



Related conference

FRIAR 2022

FRIAR 2022

29 June-1 July 2022

Milan, Italy

Related Book

Design and Information in Biology

Edited By: J.A. Bryant, University of Exeter, UK; M.A. Atherton and M.W. Collins, Brunel University, UK

Other papers in this volume

Warning (2) : foreach() argument must be of type array|object, null given [in /var/www/dce7ae55-385b-4ffa-8595-3ec5e61ff110/public_html/app/templates/Papers/view.php, line 364]

Keep me updated
Design and Information in Biology

View Book

Other papers in this volume

Introduction: Part I – Design And Information In Biological Systems

Introduction: Part II – Genomes, Genes And Proteins

Green Grass, Red Blood, Blueprint: Reflections On Life, Self-replication, And Evolution

The Human Genome Project

The Laws Of Thermodynamics: Entropy, Free Energy, Information And Complexity

The Laws Of Thermodynamics And Homo Sapiens The Engineer

Information Theory And Sensory Perception

WIT Press, Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst, Southampton SO40 7AA, UK. Registered in England as a limited company No. 4741634

Copyright 2025 WIT Press All Rights Reserved - Prices are Subject to Change - Returns Policy - Privacy Policy - Site Map