The Role of Antenna Mechanics on Control during Thigmotaxis in Cockroaches
-
1
University of California Berkeley, Biophysics Group, United States
-
2
Johns Hopkins University, Mechanical Engineering, United States
-
3
University of California Berkeley, Integrative Biology, United States
Characterizing mechanical properties of sensors is critical to decoding sensory information for neuroethological studies. Sensory biomechanical filtering can be represented by a cascade of transfer functions between the environment, sensory appendage, and individual sensors. To reveal the role of sensory mechanics on neural feedback during high-bandwidth task-level control, we studied the role of antenna mechanics during thigmotaxis in the cockroach Periplaneta americana. Cockroaches rely on mechanosensors in their antennae to track surfaces during high-speed running. We demonstrated that a sensory appendage’s mechanical state affects control and performance and that this change in mechanical state is driven passively via interactions between a sensor and the environment. Specifically, first we found that during thigmotaxis an antenna can adopt two distinct mechanical states. We showed that the state of the antenna significantly affects body-to-wall distance (the proposed state variable for control) with important implications on performance and control strategy. Secondly, we showed that a dynamic change in the state of the antenna results in significant changes in tracking control. Thirdly, we demonstrated that the change in mechanical state of the antenna is mediated passively via the interactions between the sensor and the environment. Here we compared the frequency of states for cases when the surface is smooth or rough and developed a two-state discrete Markov chain model to compare transition probabilities between states. Finally we showed that large passive mechanosensory hairs on the antenna are sufficient for mediating a change in state. To demonstrate this we performed segment-by-segment laser ablation of large mechanosensory hairs by adapting a high-precision micromanufacturing laser system. Our results suggest that passive mechanical feedback of antennal sensory structures may simplify control during thigmotaxis. These hypotheses regarding sensor-environment interaction have also been tested using a bio-inspired artificial antenna platform with tunable mechanical parameters, thereby contributing to our understanding of the biomechanics while simultaneously advancing robotic tactile navigation.
Keywords:
antenna,
Cockroach,
Control,
Mechanosensation,
navigation,
Robotics,
sensory biomechanics,
thigmotaxis
Conference:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Poster (but consider for student poster award)
Topic:
Sensory: Mechanosensation
Citation:
Mongeau
J,
Lee
J,
Demir
A,
Full
RJ and
Cowan
NJ
(2012). The Role of Antenna Mechanics on Control during Thigmotaxis in Cockroaches.
Conference Abstract:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00188
Copyright:
The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers.
They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters.
The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated.
Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed.
For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions.
Received:
29 Apr 2012;
Published Online:
07 Jul 2012.
*
Correspondence:
Mr. Jean-Michel Mongeau, University of California Berkeley, Biophysics Group, Berkeley, CA, 94704, United States, jmmongeau@berkeley.edu