Chemical Plume Tracking Behavior in Animals and Mobile Robots

Willis, Mark A.

doi:10.1002/j.2161-4296.2008.tb00423.x

Cited by 26 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…Though multiple studies have attempted to emulate the general behavior patterns of odor-seeking insects, often moths (Willis, 2008; Ferri et al, 2009; Cabrita et al, 2010; Lopez, 2011), the use of artificial evolution to systematically search the space of olfactorimotor source localization algorithms (neural or otherwise) is, to our knowledge, unique.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolving a Neural Olfactorimotor System in Virtual and Real Olfactory Environments

Rhodes

Anderson

2012

Front. Neuroeng.

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To provide a platform to enable the study of simulated olfactory circuitry in context, we have integrated a simulated neural olfactorimotor system with a virtual world which simulates both computational fluid dynamics as well as a robotic agent capable of exploring the simulated plumes. A number of the elements which we developed for this purpose have not, to our knowledge, been previously assembled into an integrated system, including: control of a simulated agent by a neural olfactorimotor system; continuous interaction between the simulated robot and the virtual plume; the inclusion of multiple distinct odorant plumes and background odor; the systematic use of artificial evolution driven by olfactorimotor performance (e.g., time to locate a plume source) to specify parameter values; the incorporation of the realities of an imperfect physical robot using a hybrid model where a physical robot encounters a simulated plume. We close by describing ongoing work toward engineering a high dimensional, reversible, low power electronic olfactory sensor which will allow olfactorimotor neural circuitry evolved in the virtual world to control an autonomous olfactory robot in the physical world. The platform described here is intended to better test theories of olfactory circuit function, as well as provide robust odor source localization in realistic environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolving a Neural Olfactorimotor System in Virtual and Real Olfactory Environments

Rhodes

Anderson

2012

Front. Neuroeng.

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“…Their model indicated that spatial-temporal distinctions in the odor plume signify to the organism that odorants do not share the same source. In relation to the utilization of both spatial and temporal encoding, Willis (2008) addressed the question of how plume trackers sample odor information using mobile robots as models of biological trackers. They concluded that both for walking and in-flight plume tracking the structure of the odor plume modulates tracking behavior (Willis, 2008), suggesting that successful navigation requires representing the odor plume as a spatiotemporal entity over and above the constituent odor filaments and concentration gradients.…”

Section: Tracking and Navigating The Olfactory Plumementioning

confidence: 99%

Odors: from chemical structures to gaseous plumes

Young

Escalon

Mathew

2020

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

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We are immersed within an odorous sea of chemical currents that we parse into individual odors with complex structures. Odors have been posited as determined by the structural relation between the molecules that compose the chemical compounds and their interactions with the receptor site. But, naturally occurring smells are parsed from gaseous odor plumes. To give a comprehensive account of the nature of odors the chemosciences must account for these large distributed entities as well. We offer a focused review of what is known about the perception of odor plumes for olfactory navigation and tracking, which we then connect to what is known about the role odorants play as properties of the plume in determining odor identity with respect to odor quality. We end by motivating our central claim that more research needs to be conducted on the role that odorants play within the odor plume in determining odor identity.

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“…To track the odorants and localize the odour source, animals have evolved various behaviours based on a fundamental strategy that largely comprises two stereotyped behaviours. Once animals receive an odorant, they move upstream to track it (surge), and if they lose the odorant, they move across the stream (casting) or change their direction to recontact it (Vickers, 2000;Willis, 2008). Insects are useful models for studying odour tracking as they display this fundamental strategy in both walking (Tobin, 1981;Tobin and Bell, 1986;Willis and Avondet, 2005) and flying (Kennedy and Marsh, 1974;Kennedy, 1983;Willis and Baker, 1987;Baker and Vogt, 1988;Mafra-Neto and Carde, 1994;Vickers and Baker, 1994;Budick and Dickinson, 2006;van Breugel and Dickinson, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A simple behaviour provides accuracy and flexibility in odour plume tracking—the robotic control of sensory-motor coupling in silkmoths

Ando

Kanzaki

2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Odour plume tracking is an essential behaviour for animal survival. A fundamental strategy for this is to move upstream and then acrossstream. Male silkmoths, Bombyx mori, display this strategy as a preprogrammed sequential behaviour. They walk forward (surge) in response to the female sex pheromone and perform a zigzagging 'mating dance'. Though pre-programmed, the surge direction is modulated by bilateral olfactory input and optic flow. However, the nature of the interaction between these two sensory modalities and contribution of the resultant motor command to localizing an odour source are still unknown. We evaluated the ability of the silkmoth to localize an odour source under conditions of disturbed sensory-motor coupling, using a silkmoth-driven mobile robot. The significance of the bilateral olfaction of the moth was confirmed by inverting the olfactory input to the antennae, or its motor output. Inversion of the motor output induced consecutive circling, which was inhibited by covering the visual field of the moth. This suggests that the corollary discharge from the motor command and the reafference of selfgenerated optic flow generate compensatory signals to guide the surge accurately. Additionally, after inverting the olfactory input, the robot successfully tracked the odour plume by using a combination of behaviours. These results indicate that accurate guidance of the reflexive surge by integrating bilateral olfactory and visual information with innate pre-programmed behaviours increases the flexibility to track an odour plume even under disturbed circumstances.

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Chemical Plume Tracking Behavior in Animals and Mobile Robots

Cited by 26 publications

References 83 publications

Evolving a Neural Olfactorimotor System in Virtual and Real Olfactory Environments

Evolving a Neural Olfactorimotor System in Virtual and Real Olfactory Environments

Odors: from chemical structures to gaseous plumes

A simple behaviour provides accuracy and flexibility in odour plume tracking—the robotic control of sensory-motor coupling in silkmoths

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