Trevor the Caterpillar

Trevor the Caterpillar is the world's first electronics-free biomimetic caterpillar, powered by artificial muscles. It is driven by a single DC voltage which is transformed into necessary driving voltages by artificial central pattern generators integrated into its body, like the neural ganglia that are integrated with our muscles. Technically, researchers have produced an artificial muscle - artificial neuron network, a so-called dielectric elastomer oscillator. The oscillator uses piezoresistive dielectric elastomer switches (DESs) which were invented in the Auckland Bioengineering Institute’s Biomimetics Lab at the University of Auckland.