Topic: locomotion

Apply through the RobotX programme to several ETH robotics research groups, selecting up to three potential supervisors. Areas include soft and biohybrid robots, locomotion, manipulation, perception, human–robot interaction, learning and safety. Successful candidates receive fully funded doctoral employment at ETH salary rates with social benefits and define their research project with a supervisor. Start by agreement in 2027. Apply through the ETH online recruitment portal. Application deadline: 2026-11-27.

A fully funded four-year PhD in ETH Zurich’s Robotic Materials group investigates materials whose mechanical modulus, viscoelasticity and flow behavior can be programmed within one continuous body. Work includes dynamic covalent polymer-composite synthesis, rheological characterization, theory and multiphysics simulation, and fabrication of soft robotic demonstrators. The project develops spatially addressable state modulation and demonstrates functions such as locomotion, grasping and navigating constrictions. The position is full-time in Zurich with a preferred start in the third or fourth q

Develop computational models of spinal networks underlying locomotion and assess how stimulation affects their function. The CAMIN project combines literature review, coupled-oscillator modelling, parameter identification, experimental validation and electrophysiological-data analysis. It aims to improve understanding relevant to restoring movement after neurological injury. The 12-month appointment is scheduled to start on 1 January 2027, with gross monthly pay of EUR 2,788.

How does a cat gracefully walk and suddenly freeze when spotting a mouse? In this talk, we look at how networks in the spinal cord generate movement. In particular, we address the fundamental yet poorly understood question of motor control: How can rhythmic movements, such as walking, be generated and stopped at any point in the cycle while posture is preserved? Since conventional models of spinal motor function rely on alternation between flexor and extensor modules, which are limited to just two phases, this question exposes the essential shortcoming of the conventional understanding: How ca

All animal locomotion is rhythmic,whether it is achieved through undulatory movement of the whole body or the coordination of articulated limbs. Neurobiologists have long studied locomotor circuits that produce rhythmic activity with non-rhythmic input, also called central pattern generators (CPGs). However, the cellular and microcircuit implementation of a walking CPG has not been described for any limbed animal. New comprehensive connectomes of the fruit fly ventral nerve cord (VNC) provide an opportunity to study rhythmogenic walking circuits at a synaptic scale.We use a data-driven network

Every movement we make requires us to precisely coordinate muscle activity across our body in space and time. In this talk I will describe our efforts to understand how the brain generates flexible, coordinated movement. We have taken a behavior-centric approach to this problem, starting with the development of quantitative frameworks for mouse locomotion (LocoMouse; Machado et al., eLife 2015, 2020) and locomotor learning, in which mice adapt their locomotor symmetry in response to environmental perturbations (Darmohray et al., Neuron 2019). Combined with genetic circuit dissection, these stu

Cells and microorganisms are motile, yet the stationary nature of conventional microscopes impedes comprehensive, long-term behavioral and biomechanical analysis. The limitations are twofold: a narrow focus permits high-resolution imaging but sacrifices the broader context of organism behavior, while a wider focus compromises microscopic detail. This trade-off is especially problematic when investigating rapidly motile ciliates, which often have to be confined to small volumes between coverslips affecting their natural behavior. To address this challenge, we introduce Trackoscope, an 2-axis au

Through recent advances in microscopy, we now have an unprecedented view of the brain and body of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. We now know the connectivity at single neuron resolution across the whole brain. How do we translate these new measurements into a deeper understanding of how the brain processes sensory information and produces behavior? I will describe two computational efforts to model the brain and the body of the fruit fly. First, I will describe a new modeling method which makes highly accurate predictions of neural activity in the fly visual system as measured in the l

Navigation requires orienting oneself relative to landmarks in the environment, evaluating relevant sensory data, remembering goals, and convert all this information into motor commands that direct locomotion. I will present models, highly constrained by connectomic, physiological and behavioral data, for how these functions are accomplished in the fly brain.

To effectively move in complex and changing environments, animals must control locomotor speed and gait, while precisely coordinating and adapting limb movements to the terrain. The underlying neuronal control is facilitated by circuits in the spinal cord, which integrate supraspinal commands and afferent feedback signals to produce coordinated rhythmic muscle activations necessary for stable locomotion. I will present a series of computational models investigating dynamics of central neuronal interactions as well as a neuromechanical model that integrates neuronal circuits with a model of th

Here, we present a protocol for using a versatile treadmill system to measure locomotion and neural activity at high temporal resolution in head-fixed mice. We first describe the assembly of the treadmill system. We then detail surgical implantation of the headplate on the mouse skull, followed by habituation of mice to locomotion on the treadmill system. The system is compact, movable, and simple to synchronize with other data streams, making it ideal for monitoring brain activity in diverse behavioral frameworks. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101701

The dorsolateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) of the thalamus is an essential processing stage for retinal signals to reach the primary visual cortex (V1). How these feedforward signals are modulated by corticothalamic (CT) feedback and behavior remains an open question. To quantify how feedforward, feedback and behavior combine in shaping dLGN responses, direct and selective control of CT feedback in behaving animals is needed, as well as a computational model that takes the various contributing factors into account. We here recorded extracellular responses in dLGN of awake mice to a rich, dynam

Hippocampal pyramidal cells have been widely studied during locomotion, when theta oscillations are present, and during short wave ripples at rest, when replay takes place. However, we find a subset of pyramidal cells that are preferably active during rest, in the absence of theta oscillations and short wave ripples. We recorded these cells using two-photon imaging in dorsal CA1 of the hippocampus of mice, during a virtual reality object location recognition task. During locomotion, the cells show a similar level of activity as control cells, but their activity increases during rest, when this

The brain is remarkably flexible, and appears to instantly reconfigure its processing depending on what’s needed to solve a task at hand: fMRI studies indicate that distal brain areas appear to fluidly couple and decouple with one another depending on behavioral context. But the structural architecture of the brain is comprised of long-range axonal projections that are relatively fixed by adulthood. How does the global dynamism evident in fMRI recordings manifest at a cellular level? To bridge the gap between the activity of single neurons and cortex-wide networks, we correlated electrophysiol

Magnetic fields exert controllable forces that generate microscopic actuation and locomotion in soft materials with superparamagnetic or ferromagnetic components. I will describe the shape changes and materials parameters required to drive and direct matter including filaments, membranes and hydrogels with magnetic components using precessing magnetic fields

My research at the interface of neurobiology, biomechanics, and behavior seeks to understand how the timing precision of sensory input structures locomotor output. My lab studies the flight behavior of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, combining powerful genetic tools available for labeling and manipulating neural circuits with cutting-edge imaging in awake, behaving animals. This work has the potential to fundamentally reshape understanding of the evolution of insect flight, as well as highlight the tremendous importance of timing in the context of locomotion. Timing is crucial to the n

Today, considerable information is available on the organization and operation of the neural networks that generate the motor output for animal locomotion, such as swimming, walking, or flying. In recent years, the question of which neural mechanisms are responsible for task-specific and flexible adaptations of locomotor patterns has gained increased attention in the field of motor control. I will report on advances we made with respect to this topic for walking in insects, i.e. the leg muscle control system of phasmids and fruit flies. I will present insights into the neural basis of speed co

Maintaining posture is a vital challenge for all freely-moving organisms. As animals grow, their relationship to destabilizing physical forces changes. How does the nervous system deal with this ongoing challenge? Vertebrates use highly conserved vestibular reflexes to stabilize the body. We established the larval zebrafish as a new model system to understand the development of the vestibular reflexes responsible for balance. In this talk, I will begin with the biophysical challenges facing baby fish as they learn to swim. I’ll briefly review published work by David Ehrlich, Ph.D., establishin

One-shot learning is a crucial mechanism for survival and adaptation, enabling rapid acquisition of knowledge from a single experience [1]. Here, we investigated the synaptic plasticity associated with one-shot learning in vivo, focusing on endocannabinoid-mediated long-term potentiation (eCB-LTP) at cortico-striatal synapses [2]. We recorded neural activity in the cortex and striatum of behaving mice subjected to an uncomfortable stimulus in an arena using Neuropixel probes. This task was designed to induce avoidance behavior after a single encounter of the stimulus, thus modeling one-shot le

Recent research in awake, behaving organisms revealed the strong modulatory effects of movement on sensory coding. Surprisingly, these effects are not consistent across species. For example, in rodents and insects locomotion increases the magnitude of visual responses [1-3], while in primates, locomotion has a weak suppressive influence [4]. These differences raise intriguing questions about the computational purpose of such modulations and the generality of the underlying principles of sensory processing. Here, we address these questions from a theoretical perspective. Our approach is groun