Project description
Bio-ICT convergence
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 (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-ICT-2007-1
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Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
S10 2TN Sheffield
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.