Name: insect-controlled robot: a mobile robot platform to evaluate the odor-tracking capability of an insect
Uploaded: 2016-12-19T15:00:00
Description: 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

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. Eksperimentel Animal <ol><li> Forbered en plastboks til at holde pupper af mandlige silkmoths (B. mori), indtil deres eclosion. Put papirhåndklæder nederst og stykker af pap omkring indervæggen af boksen (figur 1A). Bemærk: De stykker pap er nødvendige for de voksne møl til at holde samtidig udvide deres vinger under eclosion (figur 1A). </li><li> Sæt mandlige silkmoth (Bombyx mor i) pupper i boksen og holde dem i en inkubator indtil...

De vigtigste punkter for en vellykket styring af robotten ved en silkmoth lader Møl gå problemfrit på luft-støttede bold og stabilt måling bolden rotation. Derfor tøjring af silkmoth og montere den på bolden på det rette position er de kritiske skridt i denne protokol. Uhensigtsmæssig vedhæftning af møl til den vedhæftede fil eller uhensigtsmæssig placering af møl på bolden vil forårsage unaturlige pres på det, der forstyrrer den normale walking adfærd og / eller forårsager en fejl i den optiske senso...

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 border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="961">
	<colgroup>
		<col />
		<col />
		<col />
		<col />
	</colgroup>
	<tbody>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:267px;">Male adult silkmoth 
			&#160;(Bombyx mori)</td>
			<td style="width:159px;"></td>
			<td style="width:171px;"></td>
			<td style="width:365px;">Rear from eggs, or purchase as pupae.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:267px;">Incubator</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Panasonic</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">MIR-254</td>
			<td style="width:365px;">Store pupae or adult silkmoths at a constant temperature, 238 L.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:267px;">Plastic box</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Sunplatec</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">O-3</td>
			<td style="width:365px;">Store pupae or adult silkmoths, 299 &#215; 224 &#215; 62 mm L &#215; W &#215; H.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:267px;">Copper wire</td>
			<td style="width:159px;"></td>
			<td style="width:171px;"></td>
			<td style="width:365px;">2-mm diameter for the attachment. Any rigid bar can be used as an alternative for making the attachment to tether a silkmoth.&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:267px;">Plastic sheet</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Kokuyo</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">VF-1420N</td>
			<td style="width:365px;">Sold as overhead projector film with thickness of 0.1 mm. Use at the tip of the attachment.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:267px;">Forceps</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">As one</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">5SA</td>
			<td style="width:365px;">Remove scales on the thorax.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:267px;">Adhesive</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Konishi</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">G17</td>
			<td style="width:365px;">Bond a silkmoth to the attachment.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="93">
			<td height="93" style="height:93px;width:267px;">Insect-controlled robot</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Custom</td>
			<td style="width:171px;"></td>
			<td style="width:365px;">Bearing an air-supported treadmill, an optical sensor, custom-built AVR-based microcontroller boards, and two DC brushless motors. It is powered by 8 &#215; AA and 3 &#215; 006P batteries.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="28">
			<td height="28" style="height:28px;width:267px;">Microcontroller</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Atmel</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">ATMEGA8</td>
			<td style="width:365px;">A component of the insect-controlled robot.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:267px;">DC blower</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Nidec</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">A34342-55</td>
			<td style="width:365px;">A component of the insect-controlled robot for floating a ball in an air-supported treadmill.&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:267px;">DC fan</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Minebea</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">1606KL-04W-B50</td>
			<td style="width:365px;">A component of the insect-controlled robot for suctioning air containing an odor.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="65">
			<td height="65" style="height:65px;width:267px;">Optical mouse sensor</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Agilent technologies</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">HDNS-2000</td>
			<td style="width:365px;">A component of the insect-controlled robot, obtained from an optical mouse (M-GUWSRSV, Elecom, Japan).</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:267px;">Brushless motor</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Maxon</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">EC-45</td>
			<td style="width:365px;">A component of the insect-controlled robot for driving a wheel.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:267px;">White polystyrene ball</td>
			<td style="width:159px;"></td>
			<td style="width:171px;"></td>
			<td style="width:365px;">A component of the insect-controlled robot. Diameter 50 mm, mass approximately 2 g.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:267px;">Bombykol: 
			&#160;(E,Z)-10,12-hexadecadien-1-ol</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Shin-Etsu chemical</td>
			<td style="width:171px;"></td>
			<td style="width:365px;">Custom synthesis.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:267px;">n-hexane</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Wako</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">085-00416</td>
			<td style="width:365px;">Solvent for bombykol.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:267px;">Wind tunnel</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Custom</td>
			<td style="width:171px;"></td>
			<td style="width:365px;">Pulling-air type, sized 1800 &#215; 900 &#215; 300 mm L &#215; W &#215; H.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="105">
			<td height="105" style="height:105px;width:267px;">BioSignal program</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Custom</td>
			<td style="width:171px;"></td>
			<td style="width:365px;">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.&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:267px;">Camcorder</td>
			<td style="width:159px;">Sony</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">HDR-XR520V</td>
			<td style="width:365px;">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.

Vi præsenterer her de grundlæggende karakteristika af insekt-robot kræves for en vellykket lokalisering af en lugt kilde. Sammenligningen mellem robotten og silkmoths, effektiviteten af ​​lugt delivery system, og betydningen af ​​præcise bilateral olfaktoriske og visuelle inputs undersøges. Sammenligningen af lugt-sporing adfærd mellem frit-walking møl og insektet-robot er vist i figur 10A og <s...

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

Evnen til at lokalisere en lugt kilde er nødvendig for insekt overlevelse og forventes at være gældende for kunstig lugt-tracking. Insektet-robot er drevet af en egentlig silkmoth og gør det muligt at evaluere lugt-tracking evne af insekter gennem en robot platform.

Insekt-kontrollerede robot: Et mobilt Robot Platform at evaluere Lugt-sporing Mulighed for et insekt

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

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

An Experimental Platform to Study the Closed-loop Performance of Brain-machine Interfaces

The non-stationary nature and variability of neuronal signals is a fundamental problem in brain-machine interfacing. We developed a brain-machine ...

Identification of Olfactory Volatiles using Gas Chromatography-Multi-unit Recordings (GCMR) in the Insect Antennal Lobe

Identification of Olfactory Volatiles using Gas Chromatography-Multi-unit Recordings GCMR in the Insect Antennal Lobe

Identifikation af olfaktoriske Flygtige stoffer ved hjælp af gaskromatografi-Multi-unit Recordings (GCMR) i Insect Antennal Lobe

All  organisms inhabit a world full of sensory stimuli that determine their  behavioral and physiological response to their environment. Olfaction is ...

Determination of Photoreceptor Cell Spectral Sensitivity in an Insect Model from In Vivo Intracellular Recordings

Determination of Photoreceptor Cell Spectral Sensitivity in an Insect Model from In Vivo Intracellular Recordings

Bestemmelse af Lysmodtageren Cell spektral følsomhed en Insect Model fra<em&gt; In vivo</em&gt; Intracellulære optagelser

Intracellular recording is a powerful technique used to determine how a single cell may respond to a given stimulus. In vision research, intracellular ...

Electrophysiological Method for Recording Intracellular Voltage Responses of Drosophila Photoreceptors and Interneurons to Light Stimuli In Vivo

Electrophysiological Method for Recording Intracellular Voltage Responses of Drosophila Photoreceptors and Interneurons to Light Stimuli In Vivo

Elektrofysiologiske Metode til Recording Intracellulær Voltage Responses af<em&gt; Drosophila</em&gt; Fotoreceptorer og interneuroner til Light Stimuli<em&gt; In vivo</em

Voltage responses of insect photoreceptors and visual interneurons can be accurately recorded with conventional sharp microelectrodes. The method ...

Fabrication of High Contact-Density, Flat-Interface Nerve Electrodes for Recording and Stimulation Applications

Fabrikation af High Kontakt-Density, Fladskærms-interface Nerve Elektroder til Optagelse og Stimulation Applications

Many attempts have been made to manufacture multi-contact nerve cuff electrodes that are safe, robust and reliable for long term neuroprosthetic ...

An Improved Method for Collection of Cerebrospinal Fluid from Anesthetized Mice

En forbedret metode til indsamling af cerebrospinalvæsken fra bedøvede mus

The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a valuable body fluid for analysis in neuroscience research. It is one of the fluids in closest contact with the central ...

A Rat Model of Central Fatigue Using a Modified Multiple Platform Method

En rotte Model af Central træthed ved hjælp af en modificeret flere Platform metode

In this article, we introduced a rat model of central fatigue using the modified multiple platform method (MMPM). The Multiple Platform box was designed ...

A Neurosphere Assay to Evaluate Endogenous Neural Stem Cell Activation in a Mouse Model of Minimal Spinal Cord Injury

En Neurosphere analyse til at vurdere endogene neurale stamceller aktivering i en musemodel af Minimal rygmarvsskade

Neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult mammalian spinal cord are a relatively mitotically quiescent population of periventricular cells that can be studied ...

A Volumetric Method for Quantification of Cerebral Vasospasm in a Murine Model of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

En volumetriske metode til kvantificering af Cerebral vasospasme i en Murine Model af subaraknoid blødning

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a subtype of hemorrhagic stroke. Cerebral vasospasm that occurs in the aftermath of the bleeding is an important factor ...

Functional MRI in Conjunction with a Novel MRI-compatible Hand-induced Robotic Device to Evaluate Rehabilitation of Individuals Recovering from Hand Grip Deficits

Funktionel MRI i forbindelse med en roman MRI-kompatibel hånd-induceret robot enhed til at evaluere rehabilitering af enkeltpersoner inddrive fra håndgreb underskud

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging technique that images brain activation in vivo, using endogenous ...