Design of Minimal Synthetic Circuits with Sensory Feedback for Quadruped Locomotion

Abstract

This paper discusses practical approaches for designing reduced synthetic circuits of central pattern generators (CPGs) for quadruped locomotion using our newly developed bifurcation toolkit. Specifically, two CPGs containing only four elements (cells) are proposed that can reliably generate natural gaits of typical quadrupeds more effectively than large dedicated complex networks do. In addition, we analyze an enhanced locomotion system that incorporates a neuromechanical model for each leg and includes mechanisms of sensory feedback. We demonstrate how the proposed CPGs produce the desired gaits, which remain robust with respect to external perturbations.