Internships

RESEARCH TEAM: Collective Animal Behavior (CRCA, Toulouse), Conception Bio-Inspirée (ISM, Marseille)

Description of the project:

Our project aims at appling a biomechanical approach (CRCA) to understand the efficiency of locomotion in Messor Barbarus who is known to carry heavy loads (10 times its own weight). For this purpose, we need to quantify the kinematic parameters to estimate the inertia characteristics and to determine the internal structure design (muscles and cuticle) of the ant’s body segments. We will assess the kinematics using a high frequency macro videorecoding that has been specially designed in the CRCA for the 3D analysis of gait in insect. The inertia characteristics will be estimated from dissection and modelization based on microscopic views and computed tomography of the different segments. This data will enable us to build a bio-inspired simulation of exoskeleton (CB-I).

Techniques that will be used by the student: 3D video recording, video analysis technique, 3D reconstruction, dissection.

Required skills: Dissection, data analysis techniques (Matlab), Model and simulation (Opensim)

SUPERVISION:
Pierre MORETTO, Isabelle MASSOU, Santiago ARROYAVE-TOBON.
E-mail: pierre.moretto@univ-tlse3.fr, isabelle.massou@univ-tlse3.fr, santiago.arroyave-tobon@univ-amu.fr