T. Thang Vo-Doan, Victor V. Titov, Michael J. M. Harrap, Stephan Lochner, Andrew D. Straw
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Insects have important roles globally in ecology, economy, and health, yet our understanding of their behavior remains limited. Bees, for example, use vision and a tiny brain to find flowers and return home, but understanding how they perform these impressive tasks has been hampered by limitations in recording technology. Here, we present Fast Lock-On (FLO) tracking. This method moves an image sensor to remain focused on a retroreflective marker affixed to an insect. Using paraxial infrared illumination, simple image processing can localize the sensor location of the insect in a few milliseconds. When coupled with a feedback system to steer a high-magnification optical system to remain focused on the insect, a high–spatiotemporal resolution trajectory can be gathered over a large region. As the basis for several robotic systems, we show that FLO is a versatile idea that can be used in combination with other components. We demonstrate that the optical path can be split and used for recording high-speed video. Furthermore, by flying an FLO system on a quadcopter drone, we track a flying honey bee and anticipate tracking insects in the wild over kilometer scales. Such systems have the capability to provide higher-resolution information about insects behaving in natural environments and as such will be helpful in revealing the biomechanical and neuroethological mechanisms used by insects in natural settings.
期刊介绍:
Science Robotics publishes original, peer-reviewed, science- or engineering-based research articles that advance the field of robotics. The journal also features editor-commissioned Reviews. An international team of academic editors holds Science Robotics articles to the same high-quality standard that is the hallmark of the Science family of journals.
Sub-topics include: actuators, advanced materials, artificial Intelligence, autonomous vehicles, bio-inspired design, exoskeletons, fabrication, field robotics, human-robot interaction, humanoids, industrial robotics, kinematics, machine learning, material science, medical technology, motion planning and control, micro- and nano-robotics, multi-robot control, sensors, service robotics, social and ethical issues, soft robotics, and space, planetary and undersea exploration.