Delcomyn F., Nelson M.E., and Cocatre-Zilgien J.H. (1996). Sense organs of
insect legs and the selection of sensors for agile walking robots. Int. J.
Robot. Res. 15(2):113-127.
Abstract. Legged robots modeled after insects have been proposed for use on
rugged, dangerous, or inaccessible terrain. The agility of current hexapod
robots, however, is not as yet as good as that of their biological counterparts.
The capability of insects for agile locomotion is likely due mainly to the rich
variety of sensory information that is provided by sense organs in their legs.
In this article we review the characteristics and distribution of insect leg
sense organs in terms that are relevant to researchers interested in designing
agile, insect- like, walking robots. In insect locomotion, three classes of
mechanosensory organs seem to play an important role in sensory feedback:
detectors of leg movement, detectors of external contact, and detectors of leg
stress. We review the properties of these types of sense organs and describe
their functional roles in the control of locomotion.
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