Beschreibung:
<jats:title>Significance</jats:title>
<jats:p>The fields of terrestrial biomechanics and bio-inspired robotics have identified spring-like limb mechanics as critical to stable and efficient gait. In biological systems, distal muscle groups cycling large amounts of energy in series tendons are a primary source of compliance. To investigate the origins of this behavior, we coupled a biological muscle-tendon to a feedback controlled servomotor simulating the inertial/gravitational environment of terrestrial gait. We drove this bio-robotic system via direct nerve stimulation across a range of frequencies to explore the influence of neural control on muscle-tendon interactions. This study concluded that by matching stimulation frequency to that of the passive biomechanical system, muscle-tendon interactions resulting in spring-like behavior occur naturally and do not require closed-loop neural control.</jats:p>