Simulation of a model for the coordination of leg movement in free walking insects

A computer has been used to simulate the behaviour of a model proposed to explain certain asymmetries in the free walking step patterns of adult stick insects. Complete sequences of behaviour including turns, changes in velocity, and transitions between different step patterns have been simulated and are compared with the real sequences produced by 1st instar and adult animals. The procedure for simulating the complete walking behaviour suggests that there are subtle differences in the walking system at these two stages of growth in addition to those outlined in an earlier paper. The model also provides a formal structure for expressing quantitative differences between the walking behaviour of the cockroach, locust, grasshopper, and stick insect.

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