Motion and Sensing in Electrosensory Systems

I have chosen electrosensory systems as a platform
to explore sensing and control in both artificial and
biological systems. In particular,
active electrolocation is investigated, where the
task is to estimate the location of a target using
measurements from a self-generated electric field.
The fundamentals of electrolocation are described
first with a finite-element numerical approximation
of the governing equations, and then simple models
are used to predict electrosensory observations.
Several belief maintenance schemes are employed to
fuse sensor data and explicitly account for
uncertainties in the position of the target. In the
biological realm, a protocol for simulating the
sensory acquisition and belief maintenance during
prey-capture behavior in the weakly electric fish was
developed. Using these simulations optimal sensing
was investigated, and results provide insight into
the interdependencies and co-evolution of sensing and
motion systems of the weakly electric fish. In the
artificial realm, an electrosensory robot capable of
actively locating underwater targets by measuring
perturbations in a self-generated electric field was
built.

Autorentext
Dr. Solberg received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University through the Laboratory of Intelligent Mechanical Systems. He then worked briefly as a physicist at Northrop Grumman Corporation developing algorithms for counter-measure systems. James currently works as a Design and Controls Engineer at Kinea Design, LLC.

Klappentext
I have chosen electrosensory systems as a platform to explore sensing and control in both artificial and biological systems. In particular, active electrolocation is investigated, where the task is to estimate the location of a target using measurements from a self-generated electric field. The fundamentals of electrolocation are described first with a finite-element numerical approximation of the governing equations, and then simple models are used to predict electrosensory observations. Several belief maintenance schemes are employed to fuse sensor data and explicitly account for uncertainties in the position of the target. In the biological realm, a protocol for simulating the sensory acquisition and belief maintenance during prey-capture behavior in the weakly electric fish was developed. Using these simulations optimal sensing was investigated, and results provide insight into the interdependencies and co-evolution of sensing and motion systems of the weakly electric fish. In the artificial realm, an electrosensory robot capable of actively locating underwater targets by measuring perturbations in a self-generated electric field was built.