An analog CMOS circuit implementing controller for bio-inspired locomotion - VLSI implementation of CPGs controlling rhythmic movements

摘要

In this report, we propose an analog CMOS circuit that controls rhythmic movements of locomotion in robotics. Animal locomotion, such as walking, running, swimming and flying, is driven by the periodic rhythmic movements. Such rhythmic movements are generated by a central nervous system which is called the central pattern generator (CPG). As a result of the coordination of physical parts acquired by the rhythmic movements, stable locomotion is achieved. In recent years, many research efforts have applied such role of the CPG for movement control in robotics. However, most of these have been developed by using a digital processor, which has several problems such as high power consumption. Hence, we designed an analog CMOS circuit that controls rhythmic coordination of locomotion in robotics, and confirmed operation of the circuit by using SPICE simulation. As a result, it was shown that the proposed circuit had the capability to generate various rhythmic patterns and their transitions quickly.