Animal Solutions to Problems of Movement Control: The Role of Proprioceptors

Abstract

In this review we address some of the problems encountered by the central nervous system (CNS) for the control of limb movement, and the strategies employed for their resolution by the utilization of proprioceptive infor­ mation.l The problems to be discussed arise partly from the mechanics of the musculoskeletal system and partly from the interactions of this system with the physical environment; they are subsequently considered under these two headings. That the CNS is able to make the available mechanical structures do its bidding is self evident. The feasibility of such proficient control in the field of robotics, however, remains only a future possibility. In fact, the motor performance of biological organisms is regarded as an existence proof of this feasibility (Raibert 1986). Although in this review we do not discuss the strategies adopted by roboticists (e.g. Shin & Malin 1984), we recognize that the elucidation of these strategies and the study of biological motor