...the who's who,
and the what's what 
of the space industry

Space Careers

news Space News

Search News Archive

Title

Article text

Keyword

  • Home
  • News
  • 'Chaotic' way to create insectlike gaits for robots

'Chaotic' way to create insectlike gaits for robots

Written by  Thursday, 17 December 2020 09:58
Write a comment
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 16, 2020
Researchers in Japan and Italy are embracing chaos and nonlinear physics to create insectlike gaits for tiny robots - complete with a locomotion controller to provide a brain-machine interface. Biology and physics are permeated by universal phenomena fundamentally grounded in nonlinear physics, and it inspired the researchers' work. In the journal Chaos, from AIP Publishing, the grou

Researchers in Japan and Italy are embracing chaos and nonlinear physics to create insectlike gaits for tiny robots - complete with a locomotion controller to provide a brain-machine interface.

Biology and physics are permeated by universal phenomena fundamentally grounded in nonlinear physics, and it inspired the researchers' work.

In the journal Chaos, from AIP Publishing, the group describes using the Rossler system, a system of three nonlinear differential equations, as a building block for central pattern generators (CPGs) to control the gait of a robotic insect.

"The universal nature of underlying phenomena allowed us to demonstrate that locomotion can be achieved via elementary combinations of Rossler systems, which represent a cornerstone in the history of chaotic systems," said Ludovico Minati, of Tokyo Institute of Technology and the University of Trento.

Phenomena related to synchronization allow the group to create very simple networks that generate complex rhythmic patterns.

"These networks, CPGs, are the basis of legged locomotion everywhere within nature," he said.

The researchers started with a minimalistic network in which each instance is associated with one leg. Changing the gait or creating a new one can be accomplished by simply making small changes to the coupling and associated delays.

In other words, irregularity can be added by making individual systems or the entire network more chaotic. For nonlinear systems, a change of output is not proportional to a change of input.

This work shows that the Rossler system, beyond its many interesting and intricate properties, "can also be successfully used as a substrate to construct a bioinspired locomotion controller for an insect robot," Minati said.

Their controller is built with an electroencephalogram to enable a brain-computer interface.

"Neuroelectrical activity from a person is recorded and nonlinear concepts of phase synchronization are used to extract a pattern," said Minati. "This pattern is then used as a basis to influence the dynamics of the Rossler systems, which generate the walking pattern for the insect robot."

The researchers tap into the fundamental ideas of nonlinear dynamics twice.

"First, we use them to decode biological activity, then in the opposite direction to generate bioinspired activity," he said.

The key implication of this work is that it "demonstrates the generality of nonlinear dynamic concepts such as the ability of the Rossler system, which is often studied in an abstract scenario," Minati said, "but is used here as a basis to generate biologically plausible patterns."

Research Report: "Generation of diverse insect-like gait patterns using networks of coupled Rossler systems"


Related Links
American Institute Of Physics
All about the robots on Earth and beyond!

Tweet

Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly

paypal only



ROBO SPACE
ESA signs contracts for reusable Space Rider up to maiden flight
Paris (ESA) Dec 10, 2020
ESA has given industry the go-ahead to build Space Rider space and ground segments. Launched on a Vega-C rocket, this spacecraft will serve as an uncrewed robotic laboratory in low Earth orbit, returning to Earth with its payloads and being reused on future missions. Space Rider offers routine access to and return from space for a wide range of European space and non-space applications, including in-orbit research and technology demonstrations. The Space Rider programme achieved major ... read more


Read more from original source...

You must login to post a comment.
Loading comment... The comment will be refreshed after 00:00.

Be the first to comment.

Interested in Space?

Hit the buttons below to follow us...