Newsgroups: comp.robotics
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From: mark@killdeer.Stanford.EDU (Mark Hosang Yim)
Subject: bug locomotion (was RE: ....)
Message-ID: <1994Jan31.064832.13646@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU>
Sender: news@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU
Organization: Robotics Lab. Stanford University
References: <2iaan9$h93@netnews.upenn.edu> <pplanteCKH6J9.3oL@netcom.com>
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 1994 06:48:32 GMT
Lines: 46

In article <pplanteCKH6J9.3oL@netcom.com> pplante@netcom.com (P. Plantec) writes:
>August R. Wohlt (wohlt@seas.upenn.edu) wrote:
>
>: Does anyone know how a spider walks?  Leg movements, etc.
>: and how they might compare to say a ladybug.  It's for a robotics
>: experiment.
>
>: i can't seem to find any literature/info, non-netsurfer that i am.
>
>: *pointers, please.
>: ------
>: August R. Wohlt (GoosE)
>: wohlt@eniac.seas.upenn.edu
>
[stuff deleted]
>Sorry to be such a prick
>Peter Plantec
>-- 

I'll try to be a little more constructive than Mr. Plantec...

There is actually a large amount of research on animal locomotion
including spiders cockroaches centipedes earthworms etc.  Probably the
most famous is the work of James Gray. "Animal Locomotion" (c) 1968 W.
W. Norton & Co.  Another interesting researcher is Knut
Schmidt-Nielson at Purdue (I think). More recent work has been done by
Robert Full at Berkeley.

Spiders have an interesting mechanism for walking in that they are
hydrostatic. That is the muscles can only bring the legs inward, and
they rely on internal blood pressure to make the legs extend.  It's
kind of amazing that there are spider which can jump using just the
internal pressure.  (I'm not positive on all my facts here, if someone
can correct me, please do.)

If you're interested in gaits, Gray's book covers quite a bit. Should
be in most libraries.

mark
mark@killdeer.stanford.edu






