Project description Bio-ICT convergence Show the project objective Hide the project objective BIOTACT will develop novel biomimetic computational methods and technologies for active touch sensing. The project is inspired by the functionality, morphology, and neural processing architectures of biological sensory systems that use tactile hairs known as whiskers or vibrissae. It will focus on two animals that are tactile specialists--the Norwegian rat and the Etruscan shrew. Both species make actively-controlled sweeping movements of their facial whiskers ("whisking") as they explore their environments. Specific objectives are to understand, and then 'reverse-engineer' in the form of computational models, the ability of these animals to:i. generate fast rhythmic whisking behaviour, exquisitely modulated by sensory feedback, that allows precise positioning of the vibrissae in a manner that maximises information uptake;ii. accurately determine object properties such as position, shape and texture, encode tactile memories that can support recognition of familiar items and places, and make rapid and accurate decisions about object identity and spatial location;iii. determine the parameters of movement, shape, and position of detected prey animals that allow their tracking and capture using tactile sense data alone.The achievement of these goals will be demonstrated and extended through the development of two biomimetic artefacts:i. a novel active tactile sensing array--termed a BIOTACT sensor--with many hundreds of vibrissa-like sensing elements, that can fulfil a wide variety of sensing functions well beyond the capacity of existing tactile sensory devices.ii. an autonomous whiskered robot with the ability to seek-out, identify, track, and capture fast-moving target objects.Further objectives are to foster and accelerate research within the wider community of active touch researchers and to train young scientists in the multi-disciplinary skills needed to ensure rapid future progress in this field. Fields of science natural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputational science Programme(s) FP7-ICT - Specific Programme "Cooperation": Information and communication technologies Topic(s) ICT-2007.8.3 - Bio-ICT convergence Call for proposal FP7-ICT-2007-1 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme CP - Collaborative project (generic) Coordinator THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD Address Firth court western bank S10 2TN Sheffield United Kingdom See on map Region Yorkshire and the Humber South Yorkshire Sheffield Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Deborah McClean (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window EU contribution € 1 341 642,00 Participants (9) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE Switzerland EU contribution € 395 045,00 Address Batiment ce 3316 station 1 1015 Lausanne See on map Region Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Région lémanique Vaud Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact CHANTAL MELLIER (Mrs) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window HUMBOLDT-UNIVERSITAET ZU BERLIN Germany EU contribution € 727 668,00 Address Unter den linden 6 10117 Berlin See on map Region Berlin Berlin Berlin Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Renate Ubachs (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window BRAIN VISION SYSTEMS SAS France EU contribution € 435 966,00 Address 32 rue du javelot 75013 Paris 13 See on map Region Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Patrick PIRIM (CEO) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE Israel EU contribution € 711 409,00 Address Herzl street 234 7610001 Rehovot See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Talia Tzahor (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV Israel EU contribution € 356 421,00 Address . 84105 Beer sheva See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Einat Noy (Mrs) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window SCUOLA INTERNAZIONALE SUPERIORE DI STUDI AVANZATI DI TRIESTE Italy EU contribution € 704 162,00 Address Via bonomea 265 34136 Trieste See on map Region Nord-Est Friuli-Venezia Giulia Trieste Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Giuliana Zotta (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND, BRISTOL United Kingdom EU contribution € 711 347,00 Address Frenchay campus, coldharbour lane BS16 1QY Bristol See on map Region South West (England) Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath area Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Stephen Hagen (Prof) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL United Kingdom EU contribution € 16 253,00 Address Beacon house queens road BS8 1QU Bristol See on map Region South West (England) Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath area Bristol, City of Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Johanna Rule (Ms) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY CORPORATION United States EU contribution € 0,00 Address Clark street 633 60208 Evanston See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Wendy Star Smith (Mrs) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window
