Is the Position of the Femur-Tibia Joint Under Feedback Control in the Walking Stick Insect?: I. Force Measurements

Abstract

It is known that a feedback system is involved in the position control of the femur-tibia joint of a fixed stick insect. Force measurements indicate that the control system also mediates negative feedback in the walking animal, the gain of the reflex loop and the half-time value of the reflex response being decreased. The biological significance of this effect is discussed. The results agree with similar experiments on man by other authors.