Are the control laws of centipede locomotion applicable to millipede locomotion?

-Verification using a multi-legged robot-

Abstract

Myriapods exhibit diverse locomotor patterns depending on species and situation (e.g., speed, environmental media). However, the mechanism underlying these phenomena still remains largely elusive. To tackle this problem, we postulated that an inter-species control principle underlies various types of myriapod locomotion. We have recently proposed a mathematical model that could well reproduce two distinct body–limb coordination patterns observed in centipede locomotion, which include the gait with body undulation in the yaw direction. In this study, to test the universality of the proposed body–limb coordination control principle of centipede locomotion, we designed a mathematical model of millipede locomotion, which employs body undulation in the pitch direction. In addition, we developed a multilegged robot to verify the proposed model in a real environment.