Unprecedented technological and biological development has taken place at Tel Aviv University in Israel and around the world. For the first time, the ear of a dead grasshopper has been connected to a robot that receives electrical signals from the ear and responds accordingly. The result is extraordinary: when researchers clap their hands once, the grasshopper’s ear hears the sound and the robot moves forward; when the researchers clap their hands twice, the robot moves backwards.
The interdisciplinary study was led by Idan Fishel, a joint master student under the joint supervision of Dr. Ben M. Maoz of the Iby and Aladar Fleischman School of Engineering and the Sagol School of Neuroscience, Prof. Yossi Yovel and Prof. Amir Ayali, experts from Sagol School of Zoology and Neuroscience School 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 examine how the advantages of biological systems could be integrated into technological systems and how the senses of the dead grasshopper could be used as sensors for a robot. “I 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 robot’s electronic microphone with the ear of a dead insect, to use the ear’s ability to detect electrical signals in the environment, in this case vibrations in the air, and, using a special chip, to turn the insect’s entrance into that robot. “
To fulfill this unique and unconventional task, the interdisciplinary team (Maoz, Yovel and Ayali) faced many challenges. In the first stage, the researchers built a robot capable of responding to the signals it receives from the environment. Then, in a multidisciplinary collaboration, the researchers managed to isolate and characterize the dead grasshopper’s ear and keep it alive, that is, functional, long enough to successfully connect it to the robot. In the final stage, the researchers managed to find a way to pick up the signals received by the grasshopper’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 lab has extensive experience working with grasshoppers and they have developed the ability to isolate and characterize the ear,” explains Dr. Maoz. “Prof. Yovel’s laboratory built the robot and developed a code that allows the robot to respond to electrical audible signals. And my lab has developed a special device – Ear-on-a-Chip – that allows the ear to be kept alive throughout the experiment. by supplying oxygen and food to the organ, while allowing electrical signals to be removed from the grasshopper’s ear and amplified and transmitted to the robot.
“In general, biological systems have a huge advantage over technological systems – both in terms of sensitivity and energy consumption. This initiative by Tel Aviv University researchers opens the door to sensory integration between robots and insects – and can make much more cumbersome and costly developments in the field of redundant robotics.
“It should be understood that biological systems consume negligible energy compared to electronic systems. They are miniature and therefore extremely economical and efficient. For comparison, a laptop consumes about 100 watts per hour, while the human brain consumes about 20 watts a day Nature is much more advanced than we are, so we should use it The principle we have demonstrated can be used and applied to other senses such as smell, sight and touch. , some animals have amazing abilities to detect explosives or drugs, creating a biological nose robot could help us preserve human life and identify criminals in a way that is not possible today.Some animals know how to detect disease. Others may feel earthquakes. The sky is the limit. ”
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