A technological and biological development unprecedented in Israel and the world has been achieved at Tel Aviv University. For the first time, the ear of a dead locust is connected to a robot that receives and responds to the ear’s electrical signals. The result is extraordinary: once the researchers clap, they hear the locust’s sound and move the robot forward; if the researchers clap twice, the robot moves backwards.
The interdisciplinary study was led by Idan Fishel, a joint master’s student under the joint supervision of dr. Ben M. Maoz from the Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering and the Sagol School of Neuroscience, prof. Yossi Yovel and prof. Amir Ayali, experts from the School of Zoology and the Sagol School of Neuroscience with -, Dr Anton Sheinin, Idan, Yoni Amit and Neta Shavil. The results of the study were published in the prestigious journal Sensors.
The researchers explain that at the beginning of the study, they tried to investigate how the benefits of biological systems can be integrated into technological systems, and how the senses of dead locusts can be used as sensors for a robot. “We chose the sense of hearing because it can be easily compared to existing technologies, as opposed to the sense of smell, for example, where the challenge is much greater,” says Dr. Maoz. “Our task was to replace the electronic microphone of the robot with an ear of a dead insect, to use the ability of the ear to detect the electrical signals from the environment, in this case vibrations in the air, and to apply the input input to a special slide. of the robot. ‘
To accomplish this unique and unconventional task, the interdisciplinary team (Maoz, Yovel and Ayali) faced numerous challenges. In the first phase, the researchers built a robot that can respond to signals it receives from the environment. In a multidisciplinary collaboration, the researchers were able to isolate and characterize the dead locust and keep it alive, that is, functional, long enough to successfully connect it to the robot. In the final phase, the researchers managed to find a way to record the signals received by the locust’s ear in a way that could be used by the robot. At the end of the process, the robot was able to “hear” the sounds and respond accordingly.
“Prof. Ayali’s laboratory has extensive experience with locusts and they have developed the skills to isolate and characterize the ear,” explains dr. Maoz. “Prof. Yovel’s lab built the robot and developed code that enables the robot to respond to electrical hearing signals. And my lab has developed a special device – Ear-on-a-Chip – that can keep the ear alive. is given throughout the experiment by giving oxygen and food to the organ, while the electrical signals can be taken from the ear of the locust and amplified and transmitted to the robot.
“In general, biological systems have a great advantage over technological systems – both in terms of sensitivity and energy consumption. This initiative by researchers from Tel Aviv University opens the door to sensory integrations between robots and insects – and can be very cumbersome. redundant and costly developments in the field of robotics.
“It should be understood that biological systems consume negligible energy compared to electronic systems. It is miniature, and therefore also extremely economical and efficient. For the sake of comparison, a laptop consumes about 100 watts per hour, while the human brain consumes about 100 watts. Consumption.watt per day.Nature is much more advanced than us, so we must use it.The principle we have shown can be used and applied to other senses, such as smell, sight and touch.Some animals have, for example amazing abilities to detect explosives or drugs, the creation of a robot with a biological nose can help us save human lives and identify criminals in a way that is not possible today.Some animals know how to detect diseases. Others can sense earthquakes. The sky is the limit. ”
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