Walking on the move: New insights into the neurology of locomotion

In a new study, scientists from the University of Cologne gained new insights into the mechanism of the rhythmic activation of nerve cells (neurons) in stick insects that control the leg muscles during walking. The researchers ...

'Chaotic' way to create insectlike gaits for robots

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.

Scientists mimic neural tissue

U.S. Army-funded researchers at Brandeis University have discovered a process for engineering next-generation soft materials with embedded chemical networks that mimic the behavior of neural tissue. The breakthrough material ...

Secrets of how worms wriggle uncovered

An engineer at the University of Liverpool has found how worms move around, despite not having a brain to communicate with the body.

Organized chaos gets robots going (Update)

(PhysOrg.com) -- Even simple insects can generate quite different movement patterns with their six legs. The animal uses various gaits depending on whether it crawls uphill or downhill, slowly or fast. Scientists from Gottingen ...