We investigated the natural resonance properties and damping characteristics of rat macrovibrissae (whiskers). Isolated whiskers rigidly fixed at base showed first-mode peaks between 27 260 Hz, principally depending on whisker length. These experimentally measured resonant frequencies were matched using a theoretical model as conical cantilever beam, with Young's modulus only free parameter. The best estimate for was ∼3-4 GPa. Results both vibration impulse experiments that are strongly...

Rats use rhythmic movements of their vibrissae (whiskers) to tactually explore environment. This “whisking” behavior has generally been reported be strictly synchronous and symmetric about the snout, it is thought controlled by a brainstem central pattern generator. Because can move independently head, however, maintaining stable perception world would seem require that rats adjust bilateral symmetry whisker in response head movements. The present study used high-speed videography reveal...

Rats use active, rhythmic movements of their whiskers to acquire tactile information about three-dimensional object features. There are no receptors along the length whisker; therefore all must be mechanically transduced back at whisker base. This raises question: how might rat determine radial contact position an whisker? We developed two complementary biomechanical models that show could distance by monitoring rate change moment (or equivalently, curvature) The first model is used explore...

In all sensory modalities, the data acquired by nervous system is shaped biomechanics, material properties, and morphology of peripheral organs. The rat vibrissal (whisker) one premier models in neuroscience to study relationship between physical embodiment sensor array neural circuits underlying perception. To date, however, three-dimensional has not been characterized. Quantifying important because it directly constrains mechanosensory inputs that will be generated during behavior. These...

Hartmann, Mitra J. and James M. Bower. Oscillatory activity in the cerebellar hemispheres of unrestrained rats. Neurophysiol. 80: 1598–1604, 1998. We recorded multiunit neural granule cell layer folium Crus IIa Seven- to 8-Hz oscillatory was seen during behavioral states which animal immobile; any movement made coincided with termination oscillations. However, nearly one-third episodes appeared cease spontaneously, absence observable sensory input or movement. Oscillations were synchronized...

Rats actively tap and sweep their large mystacial vibrissae (whiskers) against objects to tactually explore surroundings. When a vibrissa makes contact with an object, it bends, this bending generates forces moments at the base. Researchers have only recently begun quantify these mechanical variables. The present study quantifies base quasi-static model of deflection. was validated experiments on real vibrissae. Initial simulations demonstrated that almost all vibrissa-object collisions...

During exploratory behaviors, the velocity of an organism's sensory surfaces can have a pronounced effect on incoming flow information. In this study, we quantified variability in profiles rat whisking during natural behavior that included head rotations. A wide continuum was observed, including monotonic, delayed, and reversing velocities protractions retractions. Three alternative hypotheses for function variable were tested: 1) they produce bilateral asymmetry specifically correlated with...

During exploratory behavior, rats brush and tap their whiskers against objects, the mechanical signals so generated constitute primary sensory variables upon which these animals base vibrissotactile perception of world. To date, however, we lack a general dynamic model vibrissa that includes effects inertia, damping, collisions. We simulated vibrissal dynamics to compute time-varying forces bending moment at during both noncontact (free-air) whisking an object (collision). Results show...

Observation of terrestrial mammals suggests that they can follow the wind (anemotaxis), but sensory cues underlying this ability have not been studied. We identify a significant contribution to anemotaxis mediated by whiskers (vibrissae), modality previously studied only in context direct tactile contact. Five rats trained on five-alternative forced-choice airflow localization task exhibited performance decrements after vibrissal removal. In contrast, removal did disrupt control animals...

Tactile information available to the rat vibrissal system begins as external forces that cause whisker deformations, which in turn excite mechanoreceptors follicle. Despite fundamental mechanical origin of tactile information, primary sensory neurons trigeminal ganglion (Vg) have often been described encoding kinematics (geometry) object contact. Here we aimed determine extent Vg encode vs. mechanics We used models bending quantify signals (forces and moments) at base while simultaneously...

ABSTRACT The survival of many animals depends in part on their ability to sense the flow surrounding fluid medium. To date, however, little is known about how terrestrial mammals airflow direction or speed. present work analyzes mechanical response isolated rat macrovibrissae (whiskers) assess viability as sensors. Results show that whisker bends primarily and vibrates around a new average position at frequencies related its resonant modes. bending not affected by speed geometric properties...

<title>Abstract</title> The ability to precisely orient an array of end-effectors is critical for applications in robotics, sensing, and engineering. Inspired by the vibrissal (whisker) system rodents, we introduce a novel mechanism that controls arbitrary number rotating joints using single mechanical input with three planar degrees freedom. comprises two rigid frames – fixed frame movable control interconnected stiff rods, enabling both forward/backward rotations (“protraction”)...

Haptic interaction between people and machines might benefit from an understanding of haptic communication one person another. We recently reported results showing that two performing a physically shared dyadic task can outperform either alone, even when the perception each participant is other hindrance. Evidently dyad quickly negotiates more efficient motion strategy than available to individuals. This negotiation must take place through channel communication, it apparently at level below...

Several recent studies have investigated the problem of object feature extraction with artificial whiskers. Many these used an approach in which whisker is rotated against through a small angle. Each small-angle “tap” provides information about radial distance between base and object. By tapping at various points on object, full representation surface can be gradually constructed three-dimensional space. It clear, however, that this method does not exploit useful contours could extracted by...

Rats rhythmically tap and brush their vibrissae (whiskers) against objects to tactually explore the environment. To extract a complex feature such as contour of an object, rat must at least implicitly estimate radial object distance, that is, distance from base vibrissa point contact. Radial cannot be directly measured, however, because there are no mechanoreceptors along vibrissa. Instead, mechanical signals generated by vibrissa's interaction with environment transmitted near base. The...

Almost all mammals use their mystacial vibrissae (whiskers) as important tactile sensors. There are no sensors along the length of a whisker: sensing is performed by mechanoreceptors at whisker base. To artificial whiskers tool in robotics, it essential to be able determine three-dimensional (3D) location which has made contact with an object. With assumption quasistatic, frictionless, single-point contact, previous work demonstrated that 3D point can uniquely determined if six components...

The rat vibrissal system is an important model for the study of somatosensation, but small size and rapid speed vibrissae have precluded measuring precise vibrissal-object contact sequences during behavior. We used a laser light sheet to quantify, with 1 ms resolution, spatiotemporal structure whisker-surface as five naïve rats freely explored flat, vertical glass wall. Consistent previous work, we show that whisk cycle cannot be uniquely defined because different whiskers often move...