Miniature treadmills accelerate studies of insects walking

Fruit flies walking on minature treadmills are helping scientists learn how the nervous system enables animals to move in an unpredictable and complex world. The researchers engineered these small-scale machines from inexpensive parts. The treadmills are used in studies of how fruit flies recognize and deal with unexpected changes underfoot while they are walking. If animals, including people, were unable to sense their own bodies to coordinate their movements, walking would be nearly impossible and injury from falls would be likely. Even simple tasks like grabbing a glass of water or walking a couple of feet would be hindered if we couldn't continually sense our bodies' articulation and motion. The fly treadmill research looked at how the body's self-sensing system attempts to regain control of the body when it becomes off-kilter during locomotion.