Mobile Robots - the Lessons From Nature

Todd, D. J.

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-58069-7_12

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…This interdisciplinary research area at the interface of ethology and robotics is often referred to as ''ethorobotics'' [6], [9]. Existing robot designs for ethorobotics research can be broadly classified in two categories based on their mobility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collective Response of Zebrafish Shoals to a Free-Swimming Robotic Fish

2013

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In this work, we explore the feasibility of regulating the collective behavior of zebrafish with a free-swimming robotic fish. The visual cues elicited by the robot are inspired by salient features of attraction in zebrafish and include enhanced coloration, aspect ratio of a fertile female, and carangiform/subcarangiform locomotion. The robot is autonomously controlled with an online multi-target tracking system and swims in circular trajectories in the presence of groups of zebrafish. We investigate the collective response of zebrafish to changes in robot speed, achieved by varying its tail-beat frequency. Our results show that the speed of the robot is a determinant of group cohesion, quantified through zebrafish nearest-neighbor distance, which increases with the speed of the robot until it reaches . We also find that the presence of the robot causes a significant decrease in the group speed, which is not accompanied by an increase in the freezing response of the subjects. Findings of this study are expected to inform the design of experimental protocols that leverage the use of robots to study the zebrafish animal model.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collective Response of Zebrafish Shoals to a Free-Swimming Robotic Fish

2013

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“…Here, we used L. migratoria as a model organism, since the locust nervous system has been deeply investigated (Rind, 2002;Santer et al, 2006;Kurylas et al, 2008;Fotowat et al, 2011), reporting these insects as innately lateralized in several behaviours Niven, 2014, 2016;Romano et al, 2017a). To maximize the standardization and accuracy of the experimental conditions in such delicate testing contexts, a remarkable role is played by robotic agents, which enable researchers to establish bio-hybrid interactions with animals (Todd, 1993;Webb, 1995Webb, , 2000Halloy et al, 2007;Partan et al, 2009;Krause et al, 2011;Polverino et al, 2012;Romano et al, 2017a,b;Bonnet et al, 2018;Kim et al, 2018;Bierbach et al, 2018). However, further efforts are needed to provide an in-depth analysis comparing the effect of different strategies used to provide stimuli evoking antipredator behaviours (Dill, 1974).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the emerging scientific field of ethorobotics offers new paradigms of experimental manipulations of intraspecific and interspecific interactions (Todd, 1993;Webb, 1995Webb, , 2000Halloy et al, 2007;Partan et al, 2009;Krause et al, 2011;Romano et al, 2017a). Therefore, ethorobotics enables the achievement of highly standardized and controllable testing in animal behavioural research, by avoiding mutual influences and/or feedbacks between multiple animals (Herbert-Read et al, 2012;Jolles et al, 2017;Harcourt et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Encoding lateralization of jump kinematics and eye use in a locust via bio-robotic artifacts

Romano

Benelli

Stefanini

2018

Journal of Experimental Biology

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The effect of previous exposure to lateral sensory stimuli in shaping the response to subsequent symmetric stimuli represents an important overlooked issue in neuroethology, with special reference to arthropods. In this research, we investigated the hypothesis to 'programme' jumping escape direction as well as surveillance orientation in young and adult individuals of Locusta migratoria as an adaptive consequence of prior exposure to directional-biased predator approaches generated by a robotic leopard gecko representing Eublepharis macularius. The manipulation of the jumping escape direction was successfully achieved in young locusts, although young L. migratoria did not exhibit innately lateralized jumping escapes. Jumping escape direction was also successfully manipulated in adult locusts, which exhibited innate lateralized jumping escape at the individual level. The innate lateralization of each instar of L. migratoria in using a preferential eye during surveillance was not affected by prior lateralized exposure to the robotic gecko. Our results indicate a high plasticity of the escape motor outputs that are occurring almost in real time with the perceived stimuli, making them greatly adaptable and compliant to environmental changes in order to be effective and reliable. In addition, surveillance lateralization innately occurs at population level in each instar of L. migratoria. Therefore, its low forgeability by environmental factors would avoid disorganization at swarm level and improve swarm coordination during group tasks. These findings are consistent with the fact that, as in vertebrates, in insects the right hemisphere is specialized in controlling fear and escape functions.

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“…To evaluate if Ixodes ricinus (L.) (Ixodiidae) ticks have a preference in using the right or the left foreleg to climb on a host, here a mechatronic device that moved a tuft of fox skin with fur as host-mimicking combination of cues was developed. This engineered approach allows to display a realistic combination of host-borne cues (i.e., both visual and olfactory stimuli) that is prolonged over the time and standardized for each replicate (Todd, 1993;Partan, 2004;Krause et al, 2011;Romano et al, 2017b,c). The mechatronic apparatus delivered hostborne cues frontally to the I. ixodes tick, to evaluate the leg preference during questing as response to a symmetrical stimulus.…”

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confidence: 99%