Locomotion control of a bio-robotic system via electric stimulation

Abstract

This paper investigates the reaction of a living insect to electric stimulation. Artificial electrical stimulation is one of the tools of neuroethology to investigate the neural system. By creating artificial inputs to the system, specific reaction can be observed. The escape turn is a well-known reaction pattern of an insect in response to the appearance of a predator. In the first part we analyze the locomotory reaction of an insect (Periplaneta Americana) to various electrical stimuli. These stimulus-reaction measurements are done on a light-weight styro-foam trackball which is connected to a computer. This allows us to record the turning rate and the forward movement of the insect in response to antennal stimulation. Based on this data a simple mathematical model is established. As a simple example of an autonomous bio-robotic system and to verify the black-box model an electronic backpack which does line-tracking has been built. Using two photosensors as inputs the electronic backpack forces the insect to walk along a black line.