Objetivo The major aims of the project are twofold: to obtain a quantitative description of information processing occurring in early stages of vision, olfaction and hearing; and to propose new hardware architecture which will be useful for robotics. The specific aims of the project are to: - obtain quantitative models of phototransduction, chemotransduction and mechanotransduction - obtain an adequate understanding of information processing in the vertebrate visual and auditory systems - compare properties and functions of natural and artificial sensors and design an electronic ear and analyse better strategies for the autonomous navigation of a mobile vehicle.The research focuses on the analysis of natural and artificial sensors and is providing a better understanding of the information processing of sensory data occurring at the initial stages in vision, olfaction and hearing. Several biological mechanisms have been identified which are used to design electronic ear and develop efficient control strategies for robots.Some relevant results have been obtained in the understanding of natural and artificial sensors.The model of early stages of phototransduction, originally developed for amphibian photoreceptors, has been successfully extended to human photoreceptors. Also, the gating properties of light sensitive channels in photoreceptors have been quantitatively analysed and clarified. The exact relation between odour concentration and amplitude of response in olfactory neurons has been obtained for the first time under controlled conditions.Significant progress has been made in the modelling of the information processing of sound in the auditory system and reactive behaviours and intelligent strategies have been combined in mobile robots, able to perform complex tasks.Several visual routines useful for the autonomous navigation of a vehicle moving in outdoor environments have been developed and tested.APPROACH AND METHODS The project is interdisciplinary: it gathers expertise and knowledge from different fields, such as psychology, physics and information science, and intends to use both theoretical and experimental approaches. Modelling will explore analytical solutions (obtained by solving ordinary and/or partial differential equations) and computer simulations. Models will be compared with experimental results which already have been published, or with results specifically obtained in this project. The experimental analysis will use a variety of electrophysiological and optical techniques. The project also aims at making a comparison between artificial and natural sensors in order to see which features of biological sensory processing can be useful in designing new sensors or robots. In particular, the consortium will investigate an electronic ear. By comparing techniques inspired by the nervous system of the fly and traditional control techniques inspired by artificial intelligence, the team will also analyse the best strategies for controlling the navigation of a mobile vehicle. POTENTIAL The project is producing results which will be useful for industrial exploitations. The blueprint and the VLSI chip of the electronic ear is clearly relevant to automatic speech processing and many tasks in office automation. The development of visual routines for outdoor navigation and best strategies for controlling robots has generated interest in several European industries and agencies. Ámbito científico natural sciencesbiological sciencesneurobiologyengineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensorsnatural sciencesmathematicspure mathematicsmathematical analysisdifferential equationspartial differential equationsnatural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdata sciencedata processingnatural sciencesmathematicsapplied mathematicsmathematical model Programa(s) FP3-ESPRIT 3 - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of information technologies, 1990-1994 Tema(s) Data not available Convocatoria de propuestas Data not available Régimen de financiación Data not available Coordinador Università degli Studi di Genova Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección Via Dodecaneso 35 16146 Genova Italia Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos Participantes (5) Ordenar alfabéticamente Ordenar por aportación de la UE Ampliar todo Contraer todo Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Francia Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección 31 chemin Joseph Aiguier 13402 Marseille Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos Istituto di Cibernetica e Biofisica Italia Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección Via Dodecaneso 33 16146 Genova Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos Loughborough University of Technology Reino Unido Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección Ashby Road LE11 3TU Loughborough Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos University of Bristol Reino Unido Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección Senate House Tyndall Avenue BS8 1TH Bristol Ver en el mapa Enlaces Sitio web Opens in new window Coste total Sin datos University of Cambridge Reino Unido Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección Free School Lane CB2 3RF Cambridge Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos
