Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Motor Units

Motor Units

A motor unit consists of two main components: a single efferent motor neuron (i.e., a neuron that carries impulses away from the central nervous system) and all of the muscle fibers it innervates. The motor neuron may innervate multiple muscle fibers, which are single cells, but only one motor neuron innervates a single muscle fiber.

Motor Units

Motor Units

The motor unit is a fundamental component of the neuromuscular system and plays a crucial role in coordinating muscle contractions. It consists of a somatic motor neuron, which connects and controls multiple skeletal muscle fibers, forming a single functional segment. The axon of the motor neuron branches out and establishes synaptic connections known as neuromuscular junctions with individual muscle fibers within the motor unit.
Motor units come in different sizes, with smaller units...

Mechanical Systems

Mechanical Systems

Mechanical systems are analogous to to electrical networks where springs and masses play similar roles to inductors and capacitors, respectively. A viscous damper in mechanical systems functions similarly to a resistor in electrical networks, dissipating energy. The forces acting on a mass in such systems include an applied force in the direction of motion, counteracted by forces from the spring, a viscous damper, and the mass's acceleration. This interplay of forces is mathematically described...

Sequence Networks of Rotating Machines

Sequence Networks of Rotating Machines

A Y-connected synchronous generator, grounded through a neutral impedance, is designed to produce balanced internal phase voltages with only positive-sequence components. The generator's sequence networks include a source voltage that is exclusively in the positive-sequence network. The sequence components of line-to-ground voltages at the generator terminals illustrate this configuration.
Zero-sequence current induces a voltage drop across the generator's neutral impedance and other...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Optimal locomotor strategy for predator avoidance in fish prey.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

Same author

Polarized schooling emerges in tetra species with cohesive social networks.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

Same author

Mechanical Design in Tube Feet.

Integrative and comparative biology·2025

Same author

Magic Angles and Force Transmission in Helically Wrapped Worms.

Integrative and comparative biology·2025

Same author

The directional control of phototaxis in sea stars (Protoreaster nodosus).

The Journal of experimental biology·2025

Same author

JEB launches a new article type for theory and modelling studies.

The Journal of experimental biology·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

Homarus Americanus Stomatogastric Nervous System Dissection

Homarus Americanus Stomatogastric Nervous System Dissection

Published on: May 28, 2009

Collective Neuromechanics in Sea Stars.

Theodora Po¹, Matthew J McHenry¹

¹Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92617, USA.

Integrative and Comparative Biology

|June 12, 2025

Summary

Sea stars exhibit collective neuromechanics, a novel control system balancing centralized and local regulation across hundreds of tube feet. This research offers insights into biological and engineered locomotion control.

More Related Videos

A Protocol for Bioinspired Design: A Ground Sampler Based on Sea Urchin Jaws

A Protocol for Bioinspired Design: A Ground Sampler Based on Sea Urchin Jaws

Published on: April 24, 2016

Inducing Complete Polyp Regeneration from the Aboral Physa of the Starlet Sea Anemone Nematostella vectensis

Inducing Complete Polyp Regeneration from the Aboral Physa of the Starlet Sea Anemone Nematostella vectensis

Published on: January 14, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 8, 2026

Homarus Americanus Stomatogastric Nervous System Dissection

Homarus Americanus Stomatogastric Nervous System Dissection

Published on: May 28, 2009

A Protocol for Bioinspired Design: A Ground Sampler Based on Sea Urchin Jaws

A Protocol for Bioinspired Design: A Ground Sampler Based on Sea Urchin Jaws

Published on: April 24, 2016

Inducing Complete Polyp Regeneration from the Aboral Physa of the Starlet Sea Anemone Nematostella vectensis

Inducing Complete Polyp Regeneration from the Aboral Physa of the Starlet Sea Anemone Nematostella vectensis

Published on: January 14, 2017

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Biomechanics
Robotics

Background:

Traditional neuromechanics views locomotion as neural control, body mechanics, and sensory feedback.
Echinoderms, like sea stars, present a unique locomotion paradigm with distributed control.
Sea stars utilize hundreds of locally regulated tube feet for collective movement.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the control architecture of sea star locomotion.
To propose a new framework for understanding animal movement.
To explore novel control strategies for biological and engineered systems.

Main Methods:

Combined animal experiments with sea stars.
Utilized robotics for mechanical analysis.
Employed computational modeling to understand control mechanisms.

Main Results:

Identified a balance between centralized and local collective control in sea stars.
Demonstrated how hundreds of autonomous appendages coordinate locomotion.
Proposed the concept of collective neuromechanics.

Conclusions:

Collective neuromechanics offers a new perspective on locomotion control.
This framework integrates collective behavior into neuromechanics.
Findings provide insights for designing advanced robotic systems.