![]() Finally, we integrated the sensor and controller on Sprawlette and showed empirically that stabilizing Sprawlette during wall following does indeed require tactile flow, as predicted.Ĭockroaches were observed with videographic methods as escape running was initiated, but with obstacles in the path of their run. Based on these steps, we designed and calibrated a prototype tactile sensor to measure Sprawlette's angle and distance relative to a straight wall, and employed a simple bio-inspired control law that can stabilize the template dy- namics. Second, we collected initial cockroach data that supports the idea that the rate of convergence to the wall or "tactile flow" is being used, in part, for controlling body orientation. ![]() First, we developed a simple template model for antenna-based wall following. ![]() To bridge the gap between biology and design, we took initial steps toward understanding how the cockroach, Periplaneta americana, uses antenna feedback to control its orientation during a rapid wall following behav- ior. Inspired by nature's eective use of tactile feedback for rapid maneu- vering, we designed a passive, highly compliant tactile sensor for Sprawlette, a hexapedal running robot. Importantly, the same PD gains fitted to cockroach behavior also stabilize wall fol-lowing for the LLS model. Finally, we embed the template in a simulated lateral-leg-spring (LLS) model using the center of pressure as the control input. Using this system, we successfully test specific PD gains (up to a scale) fitted to the cockroach behavioral data in a "real-world" setting, lending further credence to the surprisingly simple notion that a cockroach might implement a PD controller for wall following. Furthermore, we embed the template in a robotic platform outfitted with a bio-inspired antenna. Neurophysiological ex-periments reveal that important features of the wall-following con-troller emerge at the earliest stages of sensory processing, namely in the antennal nerve. Specifically, we corroborate a prediction from a previously reported wall-following template-the simplest model that captures a behavior- that a cockroach antenna-based controller requires the rate of approach to a wall in addition to distance, e.g., in the form of a proportional-derivative (PD) controller. Our approach integrates mathematical and hardware modeling with behavioral and neurophysiological experiments. Here, we explore a system particularly well suited to exploit the synergies between biology and robotics: high-speed antenna-based wall following of the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana). Granular products for treating around foundations where American and Oriental cockroaches may occur, boric acid dusts, various liquid residual pesticides, and some gel and containerized roach baits, can be purchased in retail stores and used effectively by consumers who follow label directions.The interplay between robotics and neuromechanics facilitates discoveries in both fields: nature provides roboticists with design ideas, while robotics research elucidates critical fea-tures that confer performance advantages to biological systems. Specialized equipment and pesticides useful in cockroach control, such as dust applicators, microencapsulate formulations, and insect growth regulators, are typically not available to consumers. While most consumers can perform adequate sanitation and exclusion, cleaning and sealing, the over-the-counter selection of pesticides is limited compared to the number of products available to, and designed for use by, pest management professionals. Cockroach control does not require the services of a pest management professional, though it is often best to hire a professional, especially for heavy infestations in complex or sensitive environments (see “ Pest Control: Do It Yourself or Hire a Professional”).
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