A Backpack Recording Platform for Neural Measurements in Ambulatory Insects

We present a low-weight, miniaturized system for wireless recording of neural activity in ambulatory and behaving insects. Changes in the total energy of the local field potentials from the insects’ antenna lobe were recorded using a pair of micro-wire electrodes. The measured energy was digitized and transmitted wirelessly to a remote processor for detecting signals or signatures of interest. Measurement data from insects’ antenna lobe are presented and compared against a bench-top approach. Using a locust (Schistocerca americana) as an insect model, we show that our neural backpack is able to achieve a transmission distance greater than 75 m while ensuring the insects’ mobility and its ability to detect target odors.