Tohoku University develops electronics-free mechanical reflex module, reproduces knee-jerk reflex and achieves bipedal walking

A team at Tohoku University has developed a mechanical reflex module that requires no electronic sensors or circuits. Integrated into a musculoskeletal robot, it reproduced the knee-jerk reflex, and combined with high-level control that adjusts activation thresholds according to movement phase, it achieved bipedal walking. The module integrates sensing, computation, and actuation within its physical structure: it mechanically detects when an artificial muscle is stretched beyond a threshold and contracts automatically, inspired by human muscle spindles.