Research

The neural control of soft-bodied locomotion

Most of our understanding of animal movements is based on creatures with stiff skeletons such as humans, dogs, birds and cockroaches. However many animals do not have hard skeletons and we know relatively little about how they control their bodies. Our model system is the caterpillar, Manduca sexta which does not have joints to restrict movements. They can crumple, compress and rotate body parts with virtually unlimited freedom. We are trying to understand how the nervous system interacts with tissues to controls these complex movements.

Using these findings we are also designing and building new types of flexible robots. The challenge is to create a comprehensive set of engineering tools so that soft materials can be controlled reliably in any moving device.

This is new field of Soft Material Robotics. Such robots could be used to navigate through pipelines or intricate structures such as blood vessels and air tubes. Learn more >

Other Research Projects

Learn more about other research projects in the Biomimetic Device Laboratory.