OPEN SPACE,
OPEN MIND

The mechanism by which eels can swim both in water and on land has been unraveled using mathematical formulas and robots – the key lies in motion control utilizing the senses of "stretching" and "pressure."

Research

Elongated fish such as eels can swim even after spinal cord damage and possess remarkable motor skills that allow them to move not only in water but also on land. Assistant Professor Kotaro Yasui of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Science Frontiers, Tohoku University, Assistant Professor Shura Suzuki and Professor Akio Ishiguro of the Research Institute of Electrical Communication, in collaboration with Professor Takeshi Kano of Future University Hakodate, Associate Professor Emily M. Standen of the University of Ottawa, and students from the Astha Gupta Graduate School and Professor Auke J. Ijspeert of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, have worked to elucidate the neural circuit mechanisms that produce this remarkable motor ability.