Electrical stimulation of insect leg muscles toward biological walking machine

Abstract

This report aims to provide an insight into a novel project intended to induce artificial walking protocols in a live beetle. The report consists of, in addition to an overview of the existing literature on the insect anatomy and muscle configuration, an in-depth design and evaluation of the aforementioned objective.

The primary features of this document deal with the investigation pertaining to the process of lateral motion in a species of beetle, namely Mecynorrhina Torquata. It is of great interest to the author to establish a coherent link between the muscle action and its associated response. To achieve this direction of research, the report deals with an extensive study of the beetle’s anatomical phenotype and its translation into the various physiological responses to both internal and external stimuli.

Further along the course of said investigation, the report seeks to identify the optimal parameters for artificial electrical stimulation of the target muscles in order to achieve horizontal swing motion of the insect’s legs. It is assumed critical in this phase to record and analyze a set of precise response data to establish the physical credibility of the experiment and to derive a rational conclusion.

The document also sheds light on the work currently underway in this research and the possible future areas of study and application that may arise from this project.

Nonetheless, the principles of anatomical dissection, along with an in-depth understanding of the stimulation protocols, have been employed to the best of the author’s abilities.