Dynamics of arrays of legs powered by a discrete electrical model of nerve

•Electrical model of nerve is used to power arrays of legs.•The leg moves differently depending if the model is linear or nonlinear.•Increasing the magnetic field leads to the increase of the shift motion.•The magnetic field influences the acceleration of the legs motion.

This paper studies the dynamics of an array of legs connected through magnetic coupling at nodes of a discrete electrical model of nerve fibre or a linear electric line. Considering legs fixed on spring, it is found that they exhibit pulse like behavior when the electrical signal propagates in the array. The amplitude of the pulse like motion increases with the magnitude of magnetic field. Legs without spring undergo a step motion at the passage of the electrical signal, advancing in a given distance before they stop. The magnitude of the step also increases with the magnetic coupling. Considering a linear electrical line excited at a single node, it is found that the legs oscillate with decreasing amplitude till the center of the line and increasing amplitude from the center to the first node of the linear line.