AVLSI biologically-based motor control circuits

Abstract

We have developed motor control circuits based upon biological mechanisms of muscular control that demonstrate similar behaviour as motoneurons and muscle fibers. The circuits implement some key biologically-based motor control components including: (i) force-length and force-velocity characteristics associated with muscle actuation and (ii) stimulation rate characteristics associated with motoneurons. A small array of motoneuron and muscle fiber circuits that demonstrate an ordered recruitment scheme was implemented and tested for verification using analog VLSI circuits.