A Physically-based Simulation of a Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

This paper shows the three-dimensional physical model created to simulate the locomotion of the Caenorhabditis elegans. The C. elegans is a very deep studied nematode as it is considered one of the simplest nervous systems in nature, made of 302 neurons and about 8000 connections. To date, there is no system that can faithfully reproduce the rich behavioral repertoire of this tiny worm in terms of neural activity and locomotion. The Si Elegans project aims to develop the first hardware-based computing framework that will accurately mimic a C. elegans worm in real time. It will enable complex and realistic behavior to emerge through interaction with a rich and dynamic simulation of a natural or laboratory environment. As a result, the locomotion of the virtual worm will be rendered in a web-based platform. In this paper, we describe the approach followed for the physically-based modeling and simulation of C. elegans and the benefits of our approach compared to existing ones. The main contribution of our work is the utilization of biphasic springs in the structure that represents the worm in the virtual environment and a Finite Element Method based internal force field to simulate the internal pressure of the body.