OSCILLATORY NETWORK CONTROLLING 6-LEGGED LOCOMOTION - OPTIMIZATION OFMODEL PARAMETERS

The model of a legged locomotory system is optimized to ensure stable motion, reliable with respect to different initial conditions. The cos t function suggested is based on the frequency of the model's loss of stability evaluated for randomly chosen initial leg positions. The opt imized model can start from the majority of allowed leg configurations , demonstrating stable walking at low and moderate speeds. Furthermore , an acceleration procedure is designed to permit the model to pick up practically every speed and then walk successfully. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.