Publication
Title
Robotic models of obstacle avoidance in bats
Author
Abstract
Echolocating bats can avoid obstacles in complete darkness relying on their sonar system. Under experimental conditions, these animals can infer the 3D position of obstacles. However, in cluttered and complex environments their ability to locate obstacles is likely to be largely reduced, and they might need to rely on more robust cues that do not degrade as the complexity of the environment increases. Here, we present a robotic model of two hypothesized obstacle avoidance strategies in bats, both of which model observed behavior in bats: a Gaze Scanning Strategy and a Fixed Head Strategy. Critically, these strategies only employ interaural level differences and do not require locating obstacles. We found that both strategies were successful at avoiding obstacles in cluttered environments. However, the Fixed Head Strategy performed better. This indicates that acoustic gaze scanning, observed in hunting bats, might reduce obstacle avoidance performance. We conclude that strategies based on gaze scanning should be avoided when little or no spatial information is available to the bat, which corresponds to recent observations in bats.
Language
English
Source (journal)
ALIFE 2019: THE 2019 CONFERENCE ON ARTIFICIAL LIFE
Source (book)
Conference on Artificial Life (ALIFE) - How Can Artificial Life Help, Solve Societal Challenges?, JUL 29-AUG 02, 2019, Newcastle upon Tyne, ENGLAND
Publication
Cambridge : Mit press , 2019
Volume/pages
(2019) , p. 463-464
ISI
000502629100081
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 08.01.2020
Last edited 02.10.2024
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