Electronics-free artificial reflex reproduces knee-jerk and enables bipedal walking

When a doctor taps just below your kneecap, your lower leg kicks forward automatically. This knee-jerk reflex is one example of the reflexes that play an essential role in human motor control. Now, researchers at Tohoku University have developed a reflex module for musculoskeletal robots that works without electronic sensors or circuits. Using this module, the team reproduced the knee-jerk reflex in a robot and generated bipedal walking.