Coordination and Modulation of Motor Programs in Manduca Sexta

Manduca Sexta 运动程序的协调和调节

• 批准号: 0117135
• 负责人: Barry Trimmer
• 金额: $ 29.17万
• 依托单位: Tufts University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-09-01 至 2005-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0117135&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Coordination; Modulation; Motor; Programs; Manduca

The majority of our knowledge about how animals move is based on creatures that walk, fly or swim using rigid articulated bones and exoskeletons. However, animals without backbones invertebrates are the most numerous animals on the planet and nearly all are soft-bodied with hydrostatic skeletons for at least part of their life. These crawling creatures do not escape predators by running but instead use camouflage, chemical defenses and cryptic behavior. As a consequence, crawling has evolved into a highly specialized form of locomotion that allows soft bodied animals to move in complex and confined three dimensional structures such as tubes and branches. With a soft body, joints do not restrict movements. Such animals can crumple, compress and rotate body parts with virtually unlimited freedom. Such complex movements are very interesting from a neural control perspective because movement coordination by the nervous system has co evolved with these biomechanical features. The proposed study uses a caterpillar, the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, as a model system to help understand the neural control of hydrostatic movements. Two specific aspects will be examined in detail: first we will determine how crawling is controlled by the central nervous system and how it interacts with peripheral structures such as muscles and cuticle; secondly, we will examine a unique aspect of caterpillar crawling, the ability to climb using curved hooks at the tips of the abdominal prolegs. This gripping is passive but very strong like Velcro hooks and can be actively released. We will determine how this gripping is controlled and how it is integrated into normal crawling.Although focused on understanding animal locomotion, these studies have potential applications in the design and control of a new type of flexible robot. Such robots could be used to navigate through pipelines or intricate structures such as blood vessels and air tubes. Finally, in examining the mechanism of proleg gripping it is possible that new adhesive materials could be developed that attach passively but can be released actively to avoid the tearing forces in conventional hook and loop fastenings.

我们关于动物如何移动的大部分知识是基于使用坚硬的关节骨骼和外骨骼行走、飞行或游泳的生物。然而，没有脊椎的动物无脊椎动物是地球上数量最多的动物，几乎所有的动物都是软体动物，至少在生命的一部分时间里都有流体静力骨骼。这些爬行生物不会通过奔跑来躲避捕食者，而是使用伪装、化学防御和神秘的行为。因此，爬行已经演变成一种高度专业化的运动形式，允许软体动物在复杂和受限的三维结构中移动，如管子和树枝。有了柔软的身体，关节不会限制运动。这种动物几乎可以无限自由地收缩、压缩和旋转身体部位。从神经控制的角度来看，这种复杂的运动非常有趣，因为神经系统的运动协调与这些生物力学特征是共同进化的。这项拟议的研究使用了一种名为烟草角虫的毛虫作为模型系统，以帮助理解静液运动的神经控制。我们将详细研究两个具体方面：首先，我们将确定爬行是如何由中枢神经系统控制的，以及它如何与肌肉和角质层等外围结构相互作用；其次，我们将研究毛虫爬行的一个独特方面，即使用腹部前腿尖端的弯曲钩子攀爬的能力。这种抓地力是被动的，但非常坚固，就像尼龙搭扣一样，可以主动释放。我们将确定这种抓取是如何控制的，以及如何将其整合到正常的爬行中。尽管这些研究的重点是了解动物的运动，但这些研究在设计和控制新型柔性机器人方面具有潜在的应用价值。这种机器人可以用来在管道或血管和气管等复杂结构中导航。最后，在研究支腿夹持的机理时，有可能开发一种新的粘接材料，这种材料可以被动附着，但可以主动释放，以避免传统钩环紧固件中的撕裂力。