Mothbot testing rig (via iop)
Autonomous robots are being utilized more and more as an advantageous, technological solution to problems that may keep people out of harm’s way - either that or keeping us more productive (some may say lazy) by having robots do the heavy lifting for us. Biomimetic is a field that is specifically concerned with applying biologically evolved systems and models to the design of man-made machines. The idea is not new, as insects have been studied in the past to observe their ability to drive a robot (link to cockroach bot article), or to maneuver through an artificial environment (link to moth flight article). This time, a team of scientists at the University of Tokyo checks out how a moth drives its very own vehicle in search of a sex pheromone.
Robots that can track odors would be very useful for the localization of hazardous chemical spills and leaks in the environment that must be cleaned. Typically, these bots use highly sensitive chemical sensors and behavioral algorithms that help track down the location of these materials. However, due to the dispersion of odorants in the atmosphere cause problems for acquiring the necessary information to find the odor source. Flying insects seem to have this strategy down, which make moths suitable for this experiment.
When moths detect a plume of pheromone in the air, the react in a predictable pattern: they surge straight ahead as a reflex to the first puff, then they subsequently zigzag and loop around even after the smell is gone. The moth behavior for this experiment is studied by safely securing an adult silkmoth to a polystyrene ball, which floats in air for reduced friction. When the pheromone stimulus is released, the moth’s motion causes the ball to rotate. An onboard microcontroller then calculates the insect’s trajectory and rotates two DC motors, which drive the vehicle. Fans are also attached to the vehicle to allow the moth to smell the pheromones near the floor; scientists believe the moth’s wing-flapping that occurs during pheromone tracking is done in order to create an airflow to the antenna. The moth essentially acts as the “brain” of an organism while the robot serves as its body - sensory inputs and time delays are accounted for in the study.
Ultimately, the University hopes to use the tracking information that is recorded in the experiment to adapt future autonomous robots with superior biological models for odor localization. Check out the video to see the moth’s sex driving abilities for yourself.
This isn’t the first time insects were abused for scientific interests:
Snail Power, alternative energy on the move, and the wrath of research
Energy scavenging from insects
Living Fuel-Cell, Cockroach Power
RC Hissing Cockroaches, this year's must have holiday toy
Cabe
