In most animal species, vision is mediated by compound eyes, which offer lower resolution than vertebrate single-lens but significantly larger fields of view with negligible distortion and spherical aberration, as well high temporal in a tiny package. Compound eyes are ideally suited for fast panoramic motion perception. Engineering miniature artificial eye challenging because it requires accurate alignment photoreceptive optical components on curved surface. Here, we describe unique design...

Our ant-inspired robot returned home outdoors with a mean error of only 6.5 cm after covering distances between 5 and 14 m.

The aerial robot presented here for the first time was based on a quadrotor structure, which is capable of unique morphing performances an actuated elastic mechanism. Like birds, are able to negotiate narrow apertures despite their relatively large wingspan, our Quad-Morphing pass through gap at high forward speed 2.5 m.s- 1 by swiftly folding up structure supporting its propellers. A control strategy developed deal with loss controllability roll axis resulting from process, while keeping...

Current methods of the conversion between a rotation quaternion and Euler angles are either complicated set multiple sequence-specific implementations, or method relying on matrix multiplications. In this paper general formula is presented for extracting in any desired sequence from unit quaternion. This direct method, that no intermediate step required (no quaternion-to-rotation conversion, example) it because works with all 12 possible sequences rotations. A closed was first developed...

In the framework of our research on biologically inspired microrobotics, we have developed a visually based autopilot for micro air vehicles (MAV), which called OCTAVE (optical altitude control system autonomous vehicles). Here, show feasibility joint and speed low complexity optronic velocity sensor that estimates optic flow in downward direction. This draws electrophysiological findings fly elementary motion detectors (EMDs) obtained at laboratory. We built an elementary, 100-gram tethered...

The X-Morf robot is a 380-g quadrotor consisting of two independent arms each carrying tandem rotors, forming an actuated scissor joint. able to actively change in-flight its X-geometry by changing the angle between arms. magnetic and electrical joint quadrotors makes them easily removable resistant crashes while providing propellers with sufficient power ensuring high quality signal transmission during flight. dynamic model on which was based, also used design adaptive controller. A Model...

Many insects such as desert ants, crickets, locusts, dung beetles, bees and monarch butterflies have been found to extract their navigation cues from the regular pattern of linearly polarized skylight. These species are equipped with ommatidia in dorsal rim area compound eyes, which sensitive angle polarization In polarization-based robotic vision, most sensors used so far comprise high-definition CCD or CMOS cameras topped linear polarizers. Here, we present a 2-pixel polarization-sensitive...

A minimalistic optical sensing device for the indoor localization is proposed to estimate relative position between sensor and active markers using amplitude modulated infrared light. The innovative insect-based can measure azimuth elevation angles with respect two small cheap light emitting diodes (LEDs) flickering at different frequencies. In comparison a previous lensless visual that we proximal (less than 30 cm), implemented: (i) in terms of size (10 cm 3 ), weight (6 g) low power...

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Abstract Considerable attention has been paid during the past decade to navigation systems based on use of visual optic flow cues. Optic flow‐‐based visuomotor control have implemented an increasingly large number sighted autonomous robots designed travel under specific lighting conditions. Many algorithms conventional cameras or custom‐made sensors are being used nowadays process motion. In this paper, we focus reliability our optical sensors, which can be measure local one‐dimensional...

Flying insects keep their visual system horizontally aligned, suggesting that gaze stabilization is a crucial first step in flight control. Unlike flies, hymenopteran such as bees and wasps do not have halteres provide fast, feed-forward angular rate information to stabilize head orientation the presence of body rotations. We tested whether use inertial (mechanosensory) control from other sources, wings, by applying periodic roll perturbations male Polistes humilis flying tether under...

We have designed and built a simple optical sensor called Vibrating Optical Device for the Kontrol of Autonomous robots (VODKA), that was inspired by "tremor" eye movements observed in many vertebrate invertebrate animals. In initial version presented here, relies on repetitive micro-translation pair photoreceptors set behind small lens, processing to locate target from two photoreceptor signals. The VODKA sensor, which retinal micro-scanning are performed via piezo-bender actuator driven at...

Here we present the first systematic comparison between visual guidance behaviour of a biomimetic robot and those honeybees flying in similar environments. We built miniature hovercraft which can travel safely along corridors with various configurations. For time, implemented on real physical 'lateral optic flow regulation autopilot', previously studied computer simulations. This autopilot inspired by results experiments species hymenoptera consists two intertwined feedback loops, speed...

The demand for bendable sensors increases constantly in the challenging field of soft and micro-scale robotics. We present here, more detail, flexible, functional, insect-inspired curved artificial compound eye (CurvACE) that was previously introduced Proceedings National Academy Sciences (PNAS, 2013). This cylindrically-bent sensor with a large panoramic field-of-view \(180^\circ\) \(\times\) \(60^\circ\)composed 630 ommatidia weighs only 1.75 g, is extremely compact power-lean (0.9 W),...

Autonomous landing on unknown extraterrestrial bodies requires fast, noise-resistant motion processing to elicit appropriate steering commands. Flying insects excellently master visual sensing techniques cope with highly parallel data at a low energy cost, using dedicated circuits. Results obtained in neurophysiological, behavioural, and biorobotic studies insect flight control were used safely land spacecraft the Moon simulated environment. ESA's Advanced Concepts Team has identified...

Indoor positioning systems are facing to the demand of large-scale industrial applications in mobile robotics. It is still challenging create an indoor system that easily embeddable, accurate, robust and power efficient. We constructed low-power optical sensor named InLock without lens localize a robot indoors moving at 0.20 m/s with accuracy inferior 10cm for position 0.1rad heading by using only three photo-detectors (PDs) two infrared Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs). (i) modelled based on...

In our ongoing project on the autonomous guidance of Micro-Air Vehicles (MAVs) in confined indoor and outdoor environments, we have developed a bio-inspired optic flow based autopilot enabling hovercraft to travel safely, avoid walls corridor. The is an air vehicle endowed with natural roll pitch stabilization characteristics, which planar flight control can be conveniently. It travels at constant ground height (∼2mm) senses environment by means two lateral eyes that measure right left flows...

OSCAR II is a twin-engine aerial demonstrator equipped with monocular visual system, which manages to keep its gaze and heading steadily fixed on target (i.e., dark edge or bar) in spite of the severe random perturbations applied body via ducted fan. The tethered robot stabilizes basis two oculomotor reflexes (ORs) inspired by studies animals: 1) visual-fixation reflex (VFR) 2) vestibulo-ocular (VOR). One key features this that eye decoupled mechanically from about vertical yaw) axis. To...

In this study, a miniature artificial compound eye (15 mm in diameter) called the curved (CurvACE) was endowed for first time with hyperacuity, using similar micro-movements to those occurring fly's eye. A periodic micro-scanning movement of only few degrees enables vibrating locate contrasting objects 40-fold greater resolution than that imposed by interommatidial angle. we developed new algorithm merging output 35 local processing units consisting adjacent pairs ommatidia. The measurements...

The new open-source quadrotor platform called X4-MaG presented here was developed for academic and research applications. is a small, low-cost open of only 307–grammes which offers two levels controllers providing manual mode an automatic thanks to powerful Linux-based controller embedded onboard. experiments show the reliability hardware software onboard quadrotor. To estimate robot s attitude, quaternion-based complementary filter requiring very few computational resources implemented on...

In this paper, we present: (i) a novel analog silicon retina featuring auto-adaptive pixels that obey the Michaelis-Menten law, i.e.V = V m I n +σ ; (ii) method of characterizing retinas, which makes it possible to accurately assess pixels' response transient luminous changes in ±3-decade range, as well initial steady-state intensity 7-decade range.The pixel, called M 2 APix, stands for Auto-Adaptive Pixel, can auto-adapt range and responds appropriately step up ±3 decades size without...