The Goal: Computer simulations and implementation of robots are a critical test for algorithms and neuronal circuits inferred from biological research. When comparing robot to fly behavior the possible outcomes are (1) the proof of the concept, (2) starting-points for additional research, or (3) disclosure of emergent properties.
Technical Spin-off: Biologically inspired construction principles and control algorithms are likely to improve the performance of mobile robots.
Feature by Alison Abbott in Nature (Jan. 18, 2007; 445: 250-253) Link
Left:Six-legged walking robot(PhD-thesis S.Pick;modified Tarryll in collaboration with Prof.Dr. H.Cruse. Bielefeld) Right: Orientation robot with 360°-camera view (PhD-thesis M.Mronz)
Selected publications
- Arena, E., Arena, P., Strauss, R., Patané, L. (2017) Motor-skill learning in an insect inspired neuro-computational control system. Frontiers in Neurorobotics. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbot.2017.00012
- Arena, P., Calí, M., Patané, L., Portera, A., Strauss R. (2016) A fly-inspired mushroom bodies model for sensory-motor control through sequence and subsequence learning. International Journal of Neural Systems 26(6): article no.: 1650035. Link
- Arena, P., Cali, M.,Patane, L., Portera, A., Strauss, R. (2015) Modelling the Insect Mushroom Bodies: Application to Sequence Learning. Neural Networks 67: 37-53.
- Arena, P., Patané, L., Strauss, R. (2014) Motor Learning and Body Size within an Insect Brain Computational Model. In: Duff, A., Lepora, N.F., Mura, A., Prescott, T.J., Verschure, P.F.M.J. (eds.) Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems. Third Int. Conf. Living Machines 2014; Springer: Cham, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht, London. Pp. 367-369.
- Strauss, R., Flethe, S., Villacorta, J.A., Makarov, V., Velarde, M.G., Patané, L., Arena, P. (2014) Roving Robots Gain from an Orientation Algorithm of Fruit Flies and Predict a Fly Decision-Making Algorithm. In: Duff, A., Lepora, N.F., Mura, A., Prescott, T.J., Verschure, P.F.M.J. (eds.) Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems. Third Int. Conf. Living Machines 2014; Springer: Cham, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht, London. Pp. 433-435.
- Arena, P., Patané, L., Stornanti, V., Termini, P.S., Zäpf, B., Strauss, R. (2012). Modeling the insect mushroom bodies: Application to a delayed match-to-sample task. Neural Networks 41: 202-211.