The modulation and control of gecko’s foot movements were studied electrophysiologically in order to design the motor control system of a gecko-mimic robot. In this study (1) the anatomy of the peripheral nerves controlling the gecko’s foot movements was determined; (2) the relationship between the limb nerves of the gecko and its foot motor patterns was studied; (3) the afferent impulses of the nerves evoked by rubbing the gecko’s toes and palm were recorded; (4) copying the natural patterns of movement of the gecko’s foot (abduction, adduction, flexion, and revolution) and its limb nerve modulation and control mechanism, the nerves were stimulated under computer control, and the results recorded by CCD. Results suggest that gecko’s foot movements can be successfully controlled by artificial electrical signals.
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and histological techniques were used to observe and study the setae structures of two gecko species (G. gecko and G. swinhonis) and the relationships between these structures and the adhesive forces. The SEM results showed that the setae of these two species were densely distributed in an orderly fashion, and branched with curved tips. The setae of G. gecko had cluster structures, each cluster containing 4-6 setae whose terminal branches curved towards the center of the toes at ～ 10(°-), the tips of the branches like spatulae and densely arrayed at an interval of less than 0.2-0.3 μm. On the contrary, the branch tips in the setae of G. swinhonis were curled, and the terminal parts of setae curved towards the center of the toes at various angles. Usually the setae of these gecko species branch twice at the top at intervals greater than that of G. gecko. The histological observation found that inside the setae of these two species there were plenty of unevenly distributed contents, such as epithelia, fat cells, pigmental cells and muscle tissue, but no gland cells existed. The results of functional experiments suggested that modifying the structure of gecko's setae could reduce its adhesive ability dramatically, demonstrating the positive correlation between the structure of the gecko's setae and its adhesive ability. The above results provide important information in designing bio-mimic setae and bio-gecko robots.
GUO Ce1, WANG WenBo1, YU Min1, DAI ZhenDong1 & SUN JiuRong2 1 Institute of Bio-inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
To study the modulation mechanism of the middle brain of the Gekko to the locomotion, we introduced a stereotaxic method first in literature and developed an apparatus suitable for Gekko gecko, the big-gest wall and ceiling climber in nature. We defined the bregma and nasal points as reference points, selected the bilateral infraorbital margin and top point of the maxillary tooth for locating and fixing, and set up the line passing through the bregma and paralleling to a line connecting the bilateral infraorbital margin as x axis. Then, we defined a horizontal plane in the stereotaxic instrument, passing through x axis and the certain point which is 4.8 mm exactly above the nasal point, as the XOY plane; the sagittal plane, i.e. the YOZ plane, is the plane which is perpendicular to x axis and passes through the bregma; the plane, i.e. the XOZ plane, which passes through x axis and is perpendicular to the horizontal plane is the coronal plane. We designed a set of head holder which includes three parts: bilateral infraorbital margin clamps, a gecko adaptor holding the rostral side of the upper jaw. The allocation and operation of the head holder is accurate and simple, and the device is low in cost and compatible with standard stereotaxic instrument.
