As the pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) has flexibility properties similar to biological muscle which is widely used in robotics as one kind of actuators, the bionic mechanism driven by PAMs be- comes a hot spot in...As the pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) has flexibility properties similar to biological muscle which is widely used in robotics as one kind of actuators, the bionic mechanism driven by PAMs be- comes a hot spot in robotics. In this paper, a kind of musculoskeletal leg mechanism driven by PAMs is presented, which has three joints driven by four PAMs. The jumping movement is divided into three phases. The forward and inverse kinematics of the leg mechanism in different jumping phases is derived. Considering the ground reaction force between feet and environment, the dynamic in different jumping phases is analyzed by Lagrange method, then the relationship between PAM driving force and the joints angular displacement, angular velocity, angular acceleration during one jumping cycle is obtained, which will lay a foundatiori for the jumping experiment of the musculo- skeletal lez mechanism.展开更多
The diversity of anti-predator adaptations in the natural world has long been an active area of research in evolutionary and behavioural biology. A common visually-obvious feature found on prey are 'eyespots', being...The diversity of anti-predator adaptations in the natural world has long been an active area of research in evolutionary and behavioural biology. A common visually-obvious feature found on prey are 'eyespots', being approximately circular mark- ings often with concentric rings and conspicuous colours. These are found on a range of animals, especially adult and larval Lepidoptera and fish. One of the most widespread functions of eyespots seems to be to intimidate or startle predators: delaying, preventing or halting an attack. However, while the fact that they can influence predators in this way is tmcuntroversial, the mechanism(s) behind why they are effective is debated. Traditionally, they have been assumed to work by mimicking the eyes of the predator's own enemies, and much research in this field is conducted under the implicit or explicit assumption that this theory is correct. However, eyespots might work simply by being highly salient stimuli that promote sensory overload, biases, or neo- phobic reactions in predators. A range of recent studies has aimed to test these alternatives. Here, we critically evaluate this work and what it tells us about the mechanisms underlying eyespot function. We conclude that although eye mimicry is plausible, there remains a lack of evidence to support it and most observations are at least equally consistent with alternative mechanisms. Finally we also discuss how the debate can be resolved展开更多
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51375289)Shanghai Municipal National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.13ZR1415500)Innovation Fund of Shanghai Education Commission(No.13YZ020)
文摘As the pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) has flexibility properties similar to biological muscle which is widely used in robotics as one kind of actuators, the bionic mechanism driven by PAMs be- comes a hot spot in robotics. In this paper, a kind of musculoskeletal leg mechanism driven by PAMs is presented, which has three joints driven by four PAMs. The jumping movement is divided into three phases. The forward and inverse kinematics of the leg mechanism in different jumping phases is derived. Considering the ground reaction force between feet and environment, the dynamic in different jumping phases is analyzed by Lagrange method, then the relationship between PAM driving force and the joints angular displacement, angular velocity, angular acceleration during one jumping cycle is obtained, which will lay a foundatiori for the jumping experiment of the musculo- skeletal lez mechanism.
文摘The diversity of anti-predator adaptations in the natural world has long been an active area of research in evolutionary and behavioural biology. A common visually-obvious feature found on prey are 'eyespots', being approximately circular mark- ings often with concentric rings and conspicuous colours. These are found on a range of animals, especially adult and larval Lepidoptera and fish. One of the most widespread functions of eyespots seems to be to intimidate or startle predators: delaying, preventing or halting an attack. However, while the fact that they can influence predators in this way is tmcuntroversial, the mechanism(s) behind why they are effective is debated. Traditionally, they have been assumed to work by mimicking the eyes of the predator's own enemies, and much research in this field is conducted under the implicit or explicit assumption that this theory is correct. However, eyespots might work simply by being highly salient stimuli that promote sensory overload, biases, or neo- phobic reactions in predators. A range of recent studies has aimed to test these alternatives. Here, we critically evaluate this work and what it tells us about the mechanisms underlying eyespot function. We conclude that although eye mimicry is plausible, there remains a lack of evidence to support it and most observations are at least equally consistent with alternative mechanisms. Finally we also discuss how the debate can be resolved