We thank Shigeru Matsuyama for providing purified bombykol. This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI (grant numbers 22700197 and 24650090) and the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP).

1.实验动物<ol><li>准备一个塑料盒，以保持公silkmoths的蛹（ 桑蚕 ），直到他们的羽化。在底部放纸巾和纸板件周围的框（ 图1A）的内壁。 注:纸板的作品是必要的成蛾，同时羽化（ 图1A）在扩大自己的翅膀举行。 </li><li>在框中放入雄silkmoth（ 家蚕铁道部 I）蛹，并让他们在一个孵化器，直到羽化16小时下:8小时光照:黑暗周期为25℃。 注:雌雄蛹可以通过在腹部（ 图1B）的标志性受到歧视。 </li><li>收集成年雄蛾羽化后并将其移动到一个新的框。 </li><li>保持成年蛾在培养箱16小时以下:8小时光照:黑暗周期和降低温度至15℃，实验前，以减少它们的活性。 </li></ol> 2.拴系Silkmoth <ol><li>附件制造的圈养（ 图2A） 注意:该附件包括在其前端的薄塑料片的带材的铜导线。这确保行走（ 图2B）期间胸廓的背腹运动。 <ol><li>制备薄塑料片的带材，2×40毫米（厚度:0.1 MM），并在中间折叠。 </li><li>折叠条附加到铜线用粘合剂的尖端。 </li><li>弯，其中一个silkmoth的胸部附着在折叠条带的前端。 </li></ol></li><li>在光照期为实验用成蛾（2-8天）。 注意:对信息素的敏感性强烈依赖于生物钟18。因为家蚕是一昼夜蛾，必须在光周期地进行实验。 </li><li>轻轻卸下DOR所有尺度采用了一块湿纸巾（或棉签）的SAL胸部（胸背板），并暴露胸背板（ 图2C）的角质层。 </li><li>在塑料上附着的带和暴露胸背板有小的平口螺丝刀表面上粘贴粘合剂，等待5-10分钟直至粘合剂不再粘。 注:粘合剂应不能触及机翼铰链或前翅tegulae（ 图2C）。 </li><li>粘接胸背板附件。 </li><li>请把它放在机器人的驾驶舱内前拴的飞蛾。持在支架上附着并把一张纸下的双腿休息的飞蛾。 </li></ol> 3.昆虫控制机器人<ol><li>设计基于以前的作品16,17,19昆虫控制机器人的硬件。 注意:昆虫控制机器人包括一个空气支撑的跑步机带的光学鼠标传感器capturE中的昆虫运动，定制基于AVR的微板用于处理和马达控制，和两个直流无刷电机（ 图3和4）。机器人可以在200毫秒的时间延迟内用96％的精度或更高的球转动的基础上运行。它也保证期间信息素跟踪行为16的最大前进速度的silkmoth的流动性（24.8毫米/秒）和角速度（96.3°/秒）。跑步机（ 图5A）和气味输送系统（ 图5B）的气流被设计用于板载蛾顺利走在球和通过两个天线获得的气味。跑步机的进气口和流路是从那些气味输送系统分开，以避免信息素的污染。 </li><li>设计基于以前的作品16板载微控制器的软件。 注:板载微控制器计算Ť他从用光学传感器测量的昆虫移动机器人的运动（旋转，ΔX;平移，Δÿ; 图6）。行驶距离（ΔL）和打开每机器人的单位时间的角度（Δθ）的每个轮子（左，ΔL L;右，ΔL R）的行进距离的基础上计算，如ΔL =（Δ L L +ΔL R）/ 2和Δθ=（ΔL L - ΔL R）/ D 轮 ，其中D 轮是两个轮（120 MM）之间的距离。 ΔL L，ΔL R中进一步描述为ΔL L =Δ 长 x，L +Δ 大号 Y，L，ΔL R =Δ 长 x，R +Δ 大号 Y，R，其中Δ 长 x，L &lt;/子&gt;，Δ 长 x，R是车轮上的左，右两侧通过Δ 点¯x控制的移动距离，和Δ 大号 Y，L，Δ 大号 Y，R是那些由Δý控制。理想的情况下，Δ 长 x，L和Δ 长 x，R被描述为Δ 长 x，L =-Δ 长 x，R = GΔ 的X（D 车轮 / D 球 ），和Δ 大号 Y，L，Δ 大号 ÿ中，R被描述为Δ 大号 Y，L =Δ 大号 Y，R = GΔy，其中G是马达增益和D 的球是球（50毫米）的直径。在实践中，电动机增益独立地由每个侧（左或右轮）和每个方向（向前或向后旋转），以便校准所述机器人运动设置。独立涨势进一步允许不对称马达旋转，以产生所述机器人的转动偏置设置（见步骤6.1）。 </li><li>与水以除去任何可能的嗅觉或视觉提示:;:洗白色发泡聚苯乙烯球的表面（50毫米质量直径约2克）。 注意:一个新的球的表面应以细砂纸，如P400，这确保对球腿的把手进行粗化处理。 </li><li>打开送风风扇，在9伏供应空气到跑步机和漂浮球（ 图5A）。观察球从杯底上浮约2毫米。 </li><li>使用螺钉，附加与蛾附件的铜丝（见步骤2），以在所述机器人的座舱夹具（参见图3插图）。确保中间腿的位置是在球（ 图7A）的中心。 </li><li>调整附件的垂直位置，以使蛾对将b正常走路所有。保持球在相同的高度之前和附加蛾（ 图7B）之后。 注意:该附件的太低位置增加对蛾压力和引发向后行走来抵抗压力（ 图7C），而过高的位置会导致不稳定的步行和传感器的故障是由于在垂直位置的变化球（ 图7D）。要检查正常行走的行为，单膨化信息素的刺激被用来触发走在蛾（为信息素的刺激，见第4步）。请注意，由于以前接触过bombykol habituates silkmoths并降低其灵敏度（松山和神崎，未公布数据）测试刺激必须是最小的。 </li></ol> 4.气味源的制备 注:男家蚕是对同种雌性性信息素的主要成分敏感（bombykol:（E，Z）-10,12-hexadecadien -1-醇） <s达&gt; 20。实验设备与bombykol任何污染引起的气味追踪行为和影响蛾的响应。 <ol><li>在一张滤纸（约10mm×10mm）的的滴10微升溶解在正己烷（200毫微克/微升）的bombykol溶液。每一片滤纸bombykol的量为2000毫微克。 注意:要检查蛾的正常行走的行为，在此步骤中准备一个信息素的刺激盒。盒是一个玻璃巴斯德吸管用含有2000纳克bombykol之一一张滤纸。推球的喷着空气含bombykol。 </li></ol> 5.气味源定位实验<ol><li>打开一个拉出空气型风洞（1800×900×300毫米，长×宽×高; 图8）的风扇并设置风速至0.7米/秒。确保该温度超过20℃。 </li><li>设置臭味源（在p含bombykol风洞的上游滤纸）的IECE。 注意:羽宽度应在实验前，通过使用四氯化钛17,19来确认。 </li><li>打开机器人的微控制器板和建立通过蓝牙到PC的串行连接。 </li><li>发射被称为"生物信号"，它提供了在PC和机器人之间的界面的定制的Java程序。 注意:主窗口包括用于发送命令给机器人的按钮，用于显示输入和串行通信的输出，并且小箱配置参数文本窗口。随后的命令是通过点击相应的按钮，在这个程序中，除了视频捕捉发送。 </li><li>点击"关于设备"按钮，以确认通过指定的COM口机器人发送命令连接，并检查该消息是由机器人返回。 </li><li>点击"备忘录RY擦除"按钮，清除遗留在板载闪存先前的运动数据。 </li><li>点击"drivemode1"按钮发送默认马达收益的机器人。 注意:电机增益和昆虫运动和机器人的运动之间的时间延迟的操作应用此步骤之后（参见步骤6.1和6.3， 图9）。 </li><li>点击"不开车"按钮发送一个命令，直到实验开始固定机器人。 </li><li>把机器人在起始位置（从气味源600毫米下游），转动马达驱动板的开关。 </li><li>按下摄像机的录制按钮开始视频拍摄。 </li><li>点击"REC START"按钮，开始命令发送与板载闪存球旋转的同时记录来启动机器人。观察，该机器人开始移动并跟踪气味羽。 </li><li>点击"停止录像"和"不开车"按钮发送命令，如果机器人本地化气味源同时停止机器人的运动和记录。 </li><li>按下摄像机的录制按钮停止视频拍摄。 </li><li>下载通过串行连接从板载闪存到计算机记录运动数据。关闭程序。 </li></ol> 6.操纵昆虫控制机器人 注:各操作的定时图9中被指示。 <ol><li>马达收益操纵 注意:此操作改变机器人的平移和旋转速度。不对称马达收益产生转动偏置，其可用于研究昆虫如何补偿的偏置17。 <ol><li>限定通过编辑日为前向和每边17（ 图6B）的马达的反向旋转的旋转增益Ë配置文件命名为"param2.txt"使用文本编辑器。 </li><li>点击"设置参数2"读取软件程序的编辑过的配置文件。然后，点击"drivemode2"送操纵收益的机器人。 </li></ol></li><li>电动机输出的反转 注意:此操作提供类似于双边嗅觉输入的反转的状态（参见步骤6.4），并且可以用于研究双边嗅觉的意义。然而，电机的输出的反转也反转板载蛾的自感应视觉运动。倒自感应视觉输入的影响，可以通过与倒置嗅觉输入19进行比较来评价。 <ol><li>通过横渡控制电缆每个电机反转双边电机控制。 </li></ol></li><li>昆虫运动和机器人的运动之间的时间延迟的操纵。 注:此操作允许用在感觉运动处理机器人气味跟踪的时间段接受的调查。微控制器存储关于缓冲存储器的运动的数据，然后在指定的时间延迟后进行处理。注意，该机器人具有200毫秒的最大内部时间延迟;因此，实际的时间延迟预计将在指定的时间延迟加上200毫秒16,17。 <ol><li>在主窗口的一个小盒子输入一个数字（0-10），以指定从0-1,000毫秒，在100毫秒的步骤的时间延迟。 </li><li>点击"设置延时"按钮应用的时间延迟。 </li></ol></li><li>嗅觉输入的操纵。 注意:此操作可用于研究双边嗅觉输入的重要性。 silkmoths的浪涌方向施力的较高浓度侧22。 <ol><li>改变吸管尖端之间的间隙或反转它们的位置来改变在由每个天线获取的气味浓度差。 </li></ol></li><li>视觉输入的操作 注意:此操作是调查视觉输入的对气味的跟踪作用。 <ol><li>覆盖一个白皮书，分别闭塞板载蛾的水平和垂直视场的105°和90°，遮篷。 </li></ol></li></ol>

The authors have nothing to disclose.

用于通过silkmoth机器人的成功控制的最重要的点是让蛾行走顺畅的空气支撑球和稳定地测量球的旋转。因此，圈养的silkmoth并在适当的位置将其安装在球在此协议中的关键步骤。蛾到附件或球上的蛾不适当定位不当粘附将导致在其上不自然的压力，这扰乱它的正常行走行为和/或引起该光学传感器的故障来测量球的旋转。粗糙化的聚苯乙烯球也很重要，以防止蛾打滑。系留蛾的响应的移动来刺激气?...

Autonomous robots capable of finding an odor source can be important for the safety and security of society. They can be used for the detection of disaster victims, of drugs or explosive materials at an airport, and of hazardous material spills or leaks in the environment. At present, we rely entirely on well-trained animals (e.g., dogs) for these tasks, and robotic odor source localization has been strongly expected to relieve the workload of these animals. Finding an odor source is a challenging task for robots because odorants are distributed intermittently in an atmosphere1; therefore, continuous sampling of the odor concentration gradient is not always possible. Thus, a search strategy using intermittent odor cues is necessary for the achievement of robotic odor source localization2-4.
Odor source localization is essential for organism survival and includes tasks such as finding food, mating partners, and sites for oviposition. To overcome the difficulty in tracking patchy distributed odorants, organisms have evolved various behavioral strategies consisting of two fundamental behaviors: moving upstream during odor reception and cross-stream during cessation of odor reception5,6. These reactive strategies have been well-documented in insects and further combined with other modalities, such as wind direction and vision5-8. The insect behavioral models have also been useful examples for robotics3,9-11, in which behavioral algorithms or neural circuit models are implemented into mobile robots for the evaluation of odor source localization abilities10,12-15. From biomimetic perspectives, this "bottom-up" approach is certainly a fundamental way to develop biomimetic robots. However, the bottom-up approach is not a shortcut to obtaining a useful search strategy, because biological analyses are still ongoing, and the modeling of the sensory-motor systems behind insect behaviors has not been completed. Therefore, it is still unknown how such a biological system actually works as a controller of a robotic platform.
In this article, we demonstrate the protocol of a straightforward "top-down" approach to develop an odor-tracking mobile robot controlled by a biological system16,17. The robot is controlled by a real insect and can be regarded as a prototype of future insect-mimetic robots. In the robot's cockpit, a tethered adult male silkmoth (Bombyx mori) walked on an air-supported ball in response to the female sex pheromone, which was delivered to each antenna through air suction tubes. The ball rotations caused by the walking of the onboard moth were measured by an optical sensor and were translated into the movement of the two-wheeled robot. The advantage of this "hybrid" approach is that experimenters can investigate how the insect sensory-motor system works on the robotic platform where a pilot insect is in a closed loop between the robot and a real odor circumstance. The manipulation of the robotic hardware alters the closed loop; therefore, the insect-controlled robot is a useful platform for both engineers and biologists. For engineering, the robot represents the first steps of applying a biological model to meet the requirements for robotic tasks. For biology, the robot is an experimental platform for studying sensory-motor control under a closed loop.

<table><tbody><tr><td>Male adult silkmoth (&lt;em&gt;Bombyx mori&lt;/em&gt;)</td><td></td><td></td><td>Rear from eggs, or purchase as pupae.</td></tr><tr><td>Incubator</td><td>Panasonic</td><td>MIR-254</td><td>Store pupae or adult silkmoths at a constant temperature, 238 L.</td></tr><tr><td>Plastic box</td><td>Sunplatec</td><td>O-3</td><td>Store pupae or adult silkmoths, 299 &amp;times; 224 &amp;times; 62 mm L &amp;times; W &amp;times; H.</td></tr><tr><td>Copper wire</td><td></td><td></td><td>2-mm diameter for the attachment. Any rigid bar can be used as an alternative for making the attachment to tether a silkmoth.&amp;nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td>Plastic sheet</td><td>Kokuyo</td><td>VF-1420N</td><td>Sold as overhead projector film with thickness of 0.1 mm. Use at the tip of the attachment.</td></tr><tr><td>Forceps</td><td>As one</td><td>5SA</td><td>Remove scales on the thorax.</td></tr><tr><td>Adhesive</td><td>Konishi</td><td>G17</td><td>Bond a silkmoth to the attachment.</td></tr><tr><td>Insect-controlled robot</td><td>Custom</td><td></td><td>Bearing an air-supported treadmill, an optical sensor, custom-built AVR-based microcontroller boards, and two DC brushless motors. It is powered by 8 &amp;times; AA and 3 &amp;times; 006P batteries.</td></tr><tr><td>Microcontroller</td><td>Atmel</td><td>ATMEGA8</td><td>A component of the insect-controlled robot.</td></tr><tr><td>DC blower</td><td>Nidec</td><td>A34342-55</td><td>A component of the insect-controlled robot for floating a ball in an air-supported treadmill.&amp;nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td>DC fan</td><td>Minebea</td><td>1606KL-04W-B50</td><td>A component of the insect-controlled robot for suctioning air containing an odor.</td></tr><tr><td>Optical mouse sensor</td><td>Agilent technologies</td><td>HDNS-2000</td><td>A component of the insect-controlled robot, obtained from an optical mouse (M-GUWSRSV, Elecom, Japan).</td></tr><tr><td>Brushless motor</td><td>Maxon</td><td>EC-45</td><td>A component of the insect-controlled robot for driving a wheel.</td></tr><tr><td>White polystyrene ball</td><td></td><td></td><td>A component of the insect-controlled robot. Diameter 50 mm, mass approximately 2 g.</td></tr><tr><td>Bombykol:&lt;br/&gt;(E,Z)-10,12-hexadecadien-1-ol</td><td>Shin-Etsu chemical</td><td></td><td>Custom synthesis.</td></tr><tr><td>n-hexane</td><td>Wako</td><td>085-00416</td><td>Solvent for bombykol.</td></tr><tr><td>Wind tunnel</td><td>Custom</td><td></td><td>Pulling-air type, sized 1,800 &amp;times; 900 &amp;times; 300 mm L &amp;times; W &amp;times; H.</td></tr><tr><td>BioSignal program</td><td>Custom</td><td></td><td>A program to establish serial communication between the insect-controlled robot and a PC via Bluetooth. Used for sending commands to start/stop the robot or configuring its motor properties.&amp;nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td>Camcorder</td><td>Sony</td><td>HDR-XR520V</td><td>Capture robot movements.</td></tr></tbody></table>

insect-controlled robot: a mobile robot platform to evaluate the odor-tracking capability of an insect

Robotic odor source localization has been a challenging area and one to which biological knowledge has been expected to contribute, as finding odor sources is an essential task for organism survival. Insects are well-studied organisms with regard to odor tracking, and their behavioral strategies have been applied to mobile robots for evaluation. This "bottom-up" approach is a fundamental way to develop biomimetic robots; however, the biological analyses and the modeling of behavioral mechanisms are still ongoing. Therefore, it is still unknown how such a biological system actually works as the controller of a robotic platform. To answer this question, we have developed an insect-controlled robot in which a male adult silkmoth (Bombyx mori) drives a robot car in response to odor stimuli; this can be regarded as a prototype of a future insect-mimetic robot. In the cockpit of the robot, a tethered silkmoth walked on an air-supported ball and an optical sensor measured the ball rotations. These rotations were translated into the movement of the two-wheeled robot. The advantage of this "hybrid" approach is that experimenters can manipulate any parameter of the robot, which enables the evaluation of the odor-tracking capability of insects and provides useful suggestions for robotic odor-tracking. Furthermore, these manipulations are non-invasive ways to alter the sensory-motor relationship of a pilot insect and will be a useful technique for understanding adaptive behaviors.

我们在座的一个气味源的成功国产化所需的昆虫控制机器人的基本特征。机器人和silkmoths，气味递送系统的有效性，并准确双边嗅觉和视觉输入的重要性之间的比较被检查。 气味跟踪行为自如行走蛾和昆虫控制机器人之间的比较示于图10A和B.在相同气味的情况下，无论是行走蛾和机器人拿下100％的成?...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Insect-controlled Robot: A Mobile Robot Platform to Evaluate the Odor-tracking Capability of an Insect at JoVE.com

Insect-controlled Robot: A Mobile Robot Platform to Evaluate the Odor-tracking Capability of an Insect

本地化气味源的能力是必要的昆虫存活和预计适用于人工气味跟踪。昆虫控制机器人由一个实际silkmoth驱动，使我们可以通过一个机器人平台，以评估昆虫气味跟踪能力。

昆虫控制的机器人:移动机器人平台来评估昆虫的气味跟踪能力

Robotic odor source localization has been a challenging area and one to which biological knowledge has been expected to contribute, as finding odor ...

insect-controlled-robot-mobile-robot-platform-to-evaluate-odor

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

14.6K 次观看.  The University of Tokyo. 本地化气味源的能力是必要的昆虫存活和预计适用于人工气味跟踪。昆虫控制机器人由一个实际silkmoth驱动，使我们可以通过一个机器人平台，以评估昆虫气味跟踪能力。 

视频: Insect-controlled Robot: A Mobile Robot Platform to Evaluate the Odor-tracking Capability of an Insect

High-resolution Measurement of Odor-Driven Behavior in Drosophila Larvae

Olfactory responses in Drosophila larvae have been traditionally studied in Petri dishes comprising a single peripheral odor source. In this behavioral paradigm, the experimenter usually assumes that the rapid diffusion of odorant molecules from the source leads to the creation of a stable gradient in the dish. To establish a quantitative correlation between sensory inputs and behavioral responses, it is necessary to achieve a more thorough characterization of the odorant stimulus conditions. In this video article, we describe a new method allowing the construction of odorant gradients with stable and controllable geometries. We briefly illustrate how these gradients can be used to screen for olfactory defects (full and partial anosmia) and to study more subtle features of chemotaxis behavior.

In this video article, we describe a new method allowing the construction of odorant gradients with stable and controllable geometries. We briefly illustrate how these gradients can be used to screen for olfactory defects (full and partial anosmia) and to study more subtle features of chemotaxis behavior.

高分辨率测量的气味驱动在果蝇幼虫的行为

Olfactory responses in Drosophila larvae have been traditionally studied in Petri dishes comprising a single peripheral odor source. In this behavioral ...

科研

生物学

Visually Mediated Odor Tracking During Flight in Drosophila

Flying insects use visual cues to stabilize their heading in a wind stream. Many animals additionally track odors carried in the wind. As such, visual stabilization of upwind tracking directly aids in odor tracking. But do olfactory signals directly influence visual tracking behavior independently from wind cues? Additionally, recent advances in olfactory molecular genetics and neurophysiology have motivated novel quantitative behavioral analyses to assess the behavioral influence of (e.g.) genetically inactivating specific olfactory activation circuits. We modified a magnetic tether system originally devised for vision experiments by equipping the arena with narrow laminar flow odor plumes. Here we focus on experiments that can be performed after a fly is tethered and is able to navigate in the magnetic arena. We show how to acquire video images optimized for measuring body angle, how to judge stable odor tracking, and we illustrate two experiments to examine the influence of visual cues on odor tracking.

Here we describe how to optimize the acquired video image for an olfactory magnetic-tether (OMT) apparatus. We also describe two sample experimental protocols for studying visuo-olfactory fusion.

在果蝇的飞行过程中可视介导的气味追踪

Flying insects use visual cues to stabilize their heading in a wind stream. Many animals additionally track odors carried in the wind. As such, visual ...

A Wind Tunnel for Odor Mediated Insect Behavioural Assays

Olfaction is the most important sensory mechanism by which many insects interact with their environment and a wind tunnel is an excellent tool to study insect chemical ecology. Insects can locate point sources in a three-dimensional environment through the sensory interaction and sophisticated behavior. The quantification of this behavior is a key element in the development of new tools for pest control and decision support. A wind tunnel with a suitable flight section with laminar air flow, visual cues for in-flight feedback and a variety of options for the application of odors can be used to measure complex behaviour which subsequently may allow the identification of attractive or repellent odors, insect flight characteristics, visual-odor interactions and interactions between attractants and odors lingering as background odors in the environment. A wind tunnel holds the advantage of studying the odor mediated behavioural repertoire of an insect in a laboratory setting. Behavioural measures in a controlled setting provide the link between the insect physiology and field application. A wind tunnel must be a flexible tool and should easily support the changes to setup and hardware to fit different research questions. The major disadvantage to the wind tunnel setup described here, is the clean odor background which necessitates special attention when developing a synthetic volatile blend for field application.

Here, we describe the construction and use of a wind tunnel for odor mediated behavioural assays with insects. The wind tunnel design facilitates the release of odor sources by several methods, with and without visual stimuli. Wind tunnel experiments are important methods to identify behaviorally active volatile chemicals.

气味介导的昆虫行为检测风洞

Olfaction is the most important sensory mechanism by which many insects interact with their environment and a wind tunnel is an excellent tool to study ...

行为学

Vertical T-maze Choice Assay for Arthropod Response to Odorants

Given the economic importance of insects and arachnids as pests of agricultural crops, urban environments or as vectors of plant and human diseases, various technologies are being developed as control tools. A subset of these tools focuses on modifying the behavior of arthropods by attraction or repulsion. Therefore, arthropods are often the focus of behavioral investigations. Various tools have been developed to measure arthropod behavior, including wind tunnels, flight mills, servospheres, and various types of olfactometers. The purpose of these tools is to measure insect or arachnid response to visual or more often olfactory cues. The vertical T-maze oflactometer described here measures choices performed by insects in response to attractants or repellents. It is a high throughput assay device that takes advantage of the positive phototaxis (attraction to light) and negative geotaxis (tendency to walk or fly upward) exhibited by many arthropods. The olfactometer consists of a 30 cm glass tube that is divided in half with a Teflon strip forming a T-maze. Each half serves as an arm of the olfactometer enabling the test subjects to make a choice between two potential odor fields in assays involving attractants. In assays involving repellents, lack of normal response to known attractants can also be measured as a third variable.

A vertical, T-maze olfactometer is described for assaying the behavioral response of arthropods. The olfactometer allows the experimenter to measure choices performed by test subjects when subjected to two potential odor fields. Both attraction to and repulsion from odorants can be measured with this device.

的垂直T-迷宫的选择含量，节肢动物响应加味剂

Given the economic importance of insects and arachnids as pests of agricultural crops, urban environments or as vectors of plant and human diseases, ...

神经科学

Controlled Odor Mimic Permeation Systems for Olfactory Training and Field Testing

The Controlled Odor Mimic Permeation System (COMPS) was developed to provide a convenient field testing method of odor delivery at controlled and reproducible rates. COMPS are composed of an odorant of interest on an absorbent material sealed inside of a permeable polymer bag. The permeable layer allows for a constant release of the odorant over a given amount of time. The permeable bag is further stored in a secondary, impermeable bag. The double-containment procedure allows for equilibration of the odorant from the permeable bag but within the impermeable outer layer, resulting in an instant and reproducible source of odorant vapor upon removal from the outer packaging. COMPS are used in both olfactory testing for experimental scenarios and for olfactory detection training, such as with detection canines. COMPS can be used to contain a wide range of odorants (e.g., narcotics powders) and provide a controlled release of the associated odorants. Odor availability from COMPS is expressed in terms of permeation rate (i.e., the rate of the odorant vapor released from a COMPS per unit time) and is typically measured by gravimetric means. The permeation rate for a given mass or volume of odorant can be adjusted as needed by varying the bag thickness, surface area, and/or polymer type. The available odor concentration from a COMPS can also be measured by headspace analysis techniques such as solid phase microextraction with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS).

The Controlled Odor Mimic Permeation System is a simple, field-portable, low-cost method of odor delivery for olfactory testing and training. It is constructed of an odorant retained on an adsorbent material and contained inside of a permeable polymer bag allowing controlled release of the odorant vapor over time.

用于嗅觉训练和现场测试的受控气味模拟渗透系统

The Controlled Odor Mimic Permeation System (COMPS) was developed to provide a convenient field testing method of odor delivery at controlled and ...

化学

Using Insect Electroantennogram Sensors on Autonomous Robots for Olfactory Searches

Robots designed to track chemical leaks in hazardous industrial facilities1 or explosive traces in landmine fields2 face the same problem as insects foraging for food or searching for mates3: the olfactory search is constrained by the physics of turbulent transport4. The concentration landscape of wind borne odors is discontinuous and consists of sporadically located patches. A pre-requisite to olfactory search is that intermittent odor patches are detected. Because of its high speed and sensitivity5-6, the olfactory organ of insects provides a unique opportunity for detection. Insect antennae have been used in the past to detect not only sex pheromones7 but also chemicals that are relevant to humans, e.g., volatile compounds emanating from cancer cells8 or toxic and illicit substances9-11. We describe here a protocol for using insect antennae on autonomous robots and present a proof of concept for tracking odor plumes to their source. The global response of olfactory neurons is recorded in situ in the form of electroantennograms (EAGs). Our experimental design, based on a whole insect preparation, allows stable recordings within a working day. In comparison, EAGs on excised antennae have a lifetime of 2 hr. A custom hardware/software interface was developed between the EAG electrodes and a robot. The measurement system resolves individual odor patches up to 10 Hz, which exceeds the time scale of artificial chemical sensors12. The efficiency of EAG sensors for olfactory searches is further demonstrated in driving the robot toward a source of pheromone. By using identical olfactory stimuli and sensors as in real animals, our robotic platform provides a direct means for testing biological hypotheses about olfactory coding and search strategies13. It may also prove beneficial for detecting other odorants of interests by combining EAGs from different insect species in a bioelectronic nose configuration14 or using nanostructured gas sensors that mimic insect antennae15.

We describe a protocol for using insect antennae in the form of electroantennograms (EAGs) on autonomous robots. Our experimental design allows stable recordings within a day and resolves individual odor patches up to 10 Hz. The efficiency of EAG sensors for olfactory searches is demonstrated in driving a robot toward an odor source.

在自主机器人以昆虫触角电位传感器的嗅觉搜索

Robots designed to track chemical leaks in hazardous industrial facilities1 or explosive traces in landmine fields2 face the same problem as insects ...

Electroantennography-based Bio-hybrid Odor-detecting Drone using Silkmoth Antennae for Odor Source Localization

Small drones with chemical or biosensor devices that can detect airborne odorant molecules have attracted considerable attention owing to their applicability in environmental and security monitoring and search-and-rescue operations. Small drones with commercial metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOX) gas sensors have been developed for odor source localization; however, their real-time-odor-detection performance has proven inadequate. However, biosensing technologies based on insect olfactory systems exhibit relatively high sensitivity, selectivity, and real-time response with respect to odorant molecules compared to commercial MOX gas sensors. In such devices, excised insect antennae function as portable odorant biosensor elements and have been found to deliver excellent sensing performance. This study presents experimental protocols for odorant-molecule detection in the air using a small autonomous bio-hybrid drone based on a mountable electroantennography (EAG) device incorporating silkmoth antennae.
We developed a mountable EAG device including sensing/processing parts with a Wi-Fi module. The device was equipped with a simple sensor enclosure to enhance the sensor directivity. Thus, odor source localization was conducted using the spiral-surge algorithm, which does not assume an upwind direction. The experimental bio-hybrid odor-detecting drone identified real-time odorant-concentration differences in a pseudo-open environment (outside a wind tunnel) and localized the source. The developed drone and associated system can serve as an efficient odorant molecule-detection tool and a suitable flight platform for developing odor source localization algorithms owing to its high programmability.

This study introduces experimental protocols for a bio-hybrid odor-detecting drone based on silkmoth antennae. The operation of an experimental electroantennogram device with silkmoth antennae is presented, in addition to the structure of a bio-hybrid drone designed for odor source localization using the spiral-surge algorithm.

基于电子电图的生物混合气味检测无人机使用丝质天线进行气味源本地化

Small drones with chemical or biosensor devices that can detect airborne odorant molecules have attracted considerable attention owing to their ...

工程学

High-resolution Quantification of Odor-guided Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster Using the Flywalk Paradigm

In their natural environment, insects such as the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster are bombarded with a huge amount of chemically distinct odorants. To complicate matters even further, the odors detected by the insect nervous system usually are not single compounds but mixtures whose composition and concentration ratios vary. This leads to an almost infinite amount of different olfactory stimuli which have to be evaluated by the nervous system.
To understand which aspects of an odor stimulus determine its evaluation by the fly, it is therefore desirable to efficiently examine odor-guided behavior towards many odorants and odor mixtures. To directly correlate behavior to neuronal activity, behavior should be quantified in a comparable time frame and under identical stimulus conditions as in neurophysiological experiments. However, many currently used olfactory bioassays in Drosophila neuroethology are rather specialized either towards efficiency or towards resolution.
Flywalk, an automated odor delivery and tracking system, bridges the gap between efficiency and resolution. It allows the determination of exactly when an odor packet stimulated a freely walking fly, and to determine the animal&#180;s dynamic behavioral reaction.

High-resolution Quantification of Odor-guided Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster Using the Flywalk Paradigm

The automated tracking system Flywalk is used for high-resolution quantification of odor-guided behavior in Drosophila melanogaster.

在气味引导行为的高分辨率定量<em&gt;果蝇</em&gt;使用<em&gt; Flywalk</em&gt;范式

In their natural environment, insects such as the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster are bombarded with a huge amount of chemically distinct odorants. To ...

Olfactory Behaviors Assayed by Computer Tracking Of Drosophila in a Four-quadrant Olfactometer

A key challenge in neurobiology is to understand how neural circuits function to guide appropriate animal behaviors. Drosophila melanogaster is an excellent model system for such investigations due to its complex behaviors, powerful genetic techniques, and compact nervous system. Laboratory behavioral assays have long been used with Drosophila to simulate properties of the natural environment and study the neural mechanisms underlying the corresponding behaviors (e.g. phototaxis, chemotaxis, sensory learning and memory)1-3. With the recent availability of large collections of transgenic Drosophila lines that label specific neural subsets, behavioral assays have taken on a prominent role to link neurons with behaviors4-11. Versatile and reproducible paradigms, together with the underlying computational routines for data analysis, are indispensable for rapid tests of candidate fly lines with various genotypes. Particularly useful are setups that are flexible in the number of animals tested, duration of experiments and nature of presented stimuli. The assay of choice should also generate reproducible data that is easy to acquire and analyze. Here, we present a detailed description of a system and protocol for assaying behavioral responses of Drosophila flies in a large four-field arena. The setup is used here to assay responses of flies to a single olfactory stimulus; however, the same setup may be modified to test multiple olfactory, visual or optogenetic stimuli, or a combination of these. The olfactometer setup records the activity of fly populations responding to odors, and computational analytical methods are applied to quantify fly behaviors. The collected data are analyzed to get a quick read-out of an experimental run, which is essential for efficient data collection and the optimization of experimental conditions.

Olfactory Behaviors Assayed by Computer Tracking Of Drosophila in a Four-quadrant Olfactometer

We describe here a behavioral setup and data analysis method for assaying olfactory responses of up to 100 vinegar flies (Drosophila melanogaster). This system may be used with single or multiple olfactory stimuli, and adaptable for optogenetic activation or silencing of neuronal subsets.

通过计算机跟踪检测大鼠嗅觉行为<em&gt;果蝇</em&gt;在四象限嗅

A key challenge in neurobiology is to understand how neural circuits function to guide appropriate animal behaviors. Drosophila melanogaster is an ...

SwarmSight: Real-time Tracking of Insect Antenna Movements and Proboscis Extension Reflex Using a Common Preparation and Conventional Hardware

Many scientifically and agriculturally important insects use antennae to detect the presence of volatile chemical compounds and extend their proboscis during feeding. The ability to rapidly obtain high-resolution measurements of natural antenna and proboscis movements and assess how they change in response to chemical, developmental, and genetic manipulations can aid the understanding of insect behavior. By extending our previous work on assessing aggregate insect swarm or animal group movements from natural and laboratory videos using the video analysis software SwarmSight, we developed a novel, free, and open-source software module, SwarmSight Appendage Tracking (SwarmSight.org) for frame-by-frame tracking of insect antenna and proboscis positions from conventional web camera videos using conventional computers. The software processes frames about 120 times faster than humans, performs at better than human accuracy, and, using 30 frames per second (fps) videos, can capture antennal dynamics up to 15 Hz. The software was used to track the antennal response of honey bees to two odors and found significant mean antennal retractions away from the odor source about 1 s after odor presentation. We observed antenna position density heat map cluster formation and cluster and mean angle dependence on odor concentration.

This protocol describes steps for using the novel software, SwarmSight, for frame-by-frame tracking of insect antenna and proboscis positions from conventional web camera videos using conventional computers. The free, open-source software processes frames about 120 times faster than humans and performs at better than human accuracy.

SwarmSight: 利用共同的准备和常规硬件实时跟踪昆虫的天线运动和喙的延伸反射

Many scientifically and agriculturally important insects use antennae to detect the presence of volatile chemical compounds and extend their proboscis ...

昆虫控制的机器人:移动机器人平台来评估昆虫的气味跟踪能力

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