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An Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Neuromechanics and Robotics

In the Tufts Neuromechanics and Biomimetic Devices Laboratory (BDL) we study how the tobacco hornworm caterpillar controls its complex movements and then we apply these findings to develop new approaches to robot control and design. We want to know how such a small nervous system coordinates more than 1000 muscles without using a stiff skeleton or joints. Animals must also sense and adapt to their environment so we also examine how a caterpillar "feels". Learn more >