Review: CPG as a controller for biomimetic floating robots

TL;DR

This review discusses the use of Central Pattern Generators (CPGs), inspired by biological neural networks, as controllers for biomimetic floating robots, highlighting recent developments in undulating and amphibian locomotion modeling.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent research on implementing CPG-based control systems in robotic animals, emphasizing biological plausibility and adaptive capabilities.

Findings

CPG-based controllers enable smooth locomotion transitions

Recent studies focus on undulating and amphibian robots

Biologically inspired control improves adaptability in robots

Abstract

All vertebrates are capable of performing various types of physical activity. Locomotor patterns are created by the cyclical coordinated work of the skeletal muscles. The organization of such a system in living organisms is responsible for networks of interconnected populations of neurons capable of forming rhythmic activity - CPG. As biologists have established, CPG is a key mechanism causing adaptive and versatile locomotion in animals. Using a system based on biological principles as a controller for robotic devices will avoid many of the problems that are present in standard control loops. In particular, it becomes possible not only plausible modeling and study of the peculiarities of animal locomotion (in simple cases), but also smooth switching between different types of activity depending on environmental conditions, i.e. creation of autonomous adaptive systems. In this review, a description of the work of recent years is given, in which the CPG is used as a controller for various robotic animals. We focused on the views showing undulating movements, i.e. floating and amphibians. Each separate section deals with a certain kind. At the same time, the works are arranged in the chronological order of their publication. At the end of each section, there is a summary that categorizes the articles described by the type of CPG used.