Force sensing in small animals: recording response properties and modeling of tibial campaniform sensilla in blow flies

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Force sensing is advantageous in walking and can signal leg slipping that could destabilize support of body weight, prior to changes in body position. Recordings of strain-detecting campaniform sensilla in blow fly legs showed force encoding in ranges reflecting their minimal body weight but firing was also inhibited by very small transient force decreases. A mathematical model of the receptors reproduced these characteristics and could aid in control of walking machines, independent of size and mass.