Insect climbing: surface attachment, sloped locomotion and implications for robotics

大多数有腿的陆生动物都受到斜坡底环境的挑战；因此攀岩是一项常见的任务。特别是像昆虫这样的小动物，经常面临不同的斜坡角度，包括垂直和倒置的基质。攀爬的基本机制和原理是复杂的，取决于斜坡和特定的解剖结构。攀爬行为受到多种因素的影响，包括动物的大体解剖结构、附着装置的结构、运动学、动力学和控制。这些因素之间复杂的相互作用在很大程度上仍未被探索，对这些影响的综合检查将允许更深入的了解并揭示攀登系统的局限性。这样的检查将进一步阐明动物在其特定生态环境中的适应性。因此，尺度限制可能会阻止像哺乳动物这样的大型动物使用与小昆虫相同的机制。相反，不同的形态特征可能导致相同大小的动物的攀爬能力不同。对攀爬力学的理解依赖于对详细运动学、地面反作用力和表面附着机制的综合分析。这项复杂研究的要素应通过同时测量3D运动学、地面反作用力和应用附件结构和身体高度的特定操作来检查。深入了解解剖和功能以及生理特性的相互作用是选择那些机制的基本要求，这些机制最好转化为技术实现。我在节肢动物生物力学方面的专业知识在昆虫附着领域的领导小组的整合，将允许在攀爬的生物力学方面获得开创性的见解。在迈向快速爬升装置的道路上，根据本提案所获得的成果，将有可能实现在轮式车辆无法进入的环境中完成任务的人造机器。

Most legged terrestrial animals are challenged by environments with sloped substrates; therefore climbing is a common task. Particularly small animals like insects are frequently faced with varying slope angles, including vertical and inverted substrates. The underlying mechanisms and principles of climbing are complex and depend on slope and specific anatomy. Climbing behaviour is affected by a variety of factors, including the animal's gross anatomy, the structure of attachment devices, kinematics, dynamics and control. The complex interactions between these factors are still largely unexplored and an integrative examination of these effects will permit deeper insights and reveal limits of climbing systems in general. Such examinations will furthermore shed light on adaptations of animals in their specific ecological context. Thus, scaling constraints may prevent larger animals like mammals from using the same mechanisms as small insects. Conversely, different morphological characteristics may result in different climbing abilities of similar-sized animals. The understanding of climbing mechanics depends on combined analyses of detailed kinematics, ground reaction forces and strong consideration of surface attachment mechanisms. The elements of this complex study shall be examined by simultaneous measurements of 3D kinematics, ground reaction forces and applying specific manipulations of attachment structures and body height. Getting insights into the interaction of anatomical and functional as well as physiological properties in turn is a basic requirement to choose those mechanisms, which are best convertible into technical implementations. The integration of my expertise with regard to arthropod biomechanics in a leading group in the field of insect attachment, will allow for getting groundbreaking insights in the biomechanics of climbing. On the way towards fast climbing devices, with the results gained in this proposal, it will be possible to realise manmade machines that fulfil tasks in environments inaccessible for wheeled vehicles.