Stabilization system of a bipedal non-anthropomorphic robot AnyWalker

International audienceWe present a bipedal walking non-anthropomorphic robot AnyWalker developed in the laboratory of robotics and mechatronics of the Kuban State University. The goal is to be able to overcome obstacles exceeding the size of the robot itself. In addition to the degrees of freedom due to the joints between the links, the robot is equipped with reaction wheels enhancing its dynamic stabilization capabilities. This paper presents a study of the stability zones in the frontal plane of the robot with and without the reaction wheel support

Application of Confocal Microscopy To Study the Neural Mechanisms Underlying Insect and Rodent Behavior

Posture and walking require support of the body weight, which is thought to be detected by sensory receptors in the legs. Specificity in sensory encoding occurs through the morphological properties of the sense organs (numerical distribution, receptor size) and their physiological response characteristics. These studies focus upon campaniform sensilla, receptors that detect forces as strains in the insect exoskeleton. To study the morphology of campaniform sensilla, the sites of mechanotransduction (cuticular caps) were imaged by light and confocal microscopy in four species (stick insects, cockroaches, blow flies and Drosophila). These data indicate that the gradient (range) of cap sizes may most closely correlate with the body weight. These studies support the idea that morphological properties of force-detecting sensory receptors in the legs may be tuned to reflect the body weight. Overall, this study indicates that the morphological properties of the sense organs are specifically tuned to provide information needed for postural stability and successful locomotion