The issues that must be addressed by many important research efforts can span so many scientific and engineering disciplines that real understanding may require the expertise of a team of investigators representing several diverse backgrounds. For example, the movements made by animals or legged robots are generated by actions within a control system ultimately causing a mechanical system to act upon objects in their surrounding environment. In animals, control is found primarily in the nervous system and the musculo-skeletal system makes up the relevant mechanical plant.
Robots have similar requirements for movement and components that play the same roles.
Clearly, a global understanding of movement by either entity requires research in a wide range of disciplines from neurobiology to biomechanics for animal studies and from control theory to mechanical engineering in robotics. Moreover, because animals and robots must ultimately move appendages that are governed by the same physical laws, many of the basic principles found in these two examples may be shared. Thus, interactions between investigators studying either natural or man-made movement can be mutually beneficial. The goal of the current proposal is to initiate a formal multidisciplinary graduate student training program in Neuro-mechanical systems. Such a training program will not only benefit our efforts in studying Neuro-mechanical systems, but will also provide a unique training experience that will produce students who will be eminently qualified to work in such diverse teams upon graduating and leaving our program.