A spinal network of proprioceptive reflexes can produce a variety of bipedal gaits
Elsa K. Bunz, Daniel F. B. Haeufle, Syn Schmitt, Thomas Geijtenbeek · 2025
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Description
Elsa Bunz, Daniel Haeufle, Syn Schmitt, and Thomas Geijtenbeek show that a stripped-down spinal reflex network can produce a whole menu of two-legged gaits in simulation. Their paper appeared in two thousand twenty-five. Proprioception, the body's sense of its own limbs, feeds reflexes that textbooks often sideline. Earlier reflex controllers were hand-tuned for one gait each.
Their controller uses only same-muscle and opposing-muscle length and force feedback, at fixed gains. No rhythm generator or gait switcher sits on top. Yet the simulated legs walked and hopped, forward and backward. They also ran in several styles and speeds. The variety surprised even the authors, given the controller's simplicity. The work argues reflexes deserve a bigger role in locomotion theory. It also offers a base for richer neuromuscular models.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Elsa K. Bunz, Daniel F. B. Haeufle, Syn Schmitt, Thomas Geijtenbeek |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2025 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 57 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |