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Insect Vision Laboratory 
Locusts are experts at avoiding collisions. They fly in swarms
many millions strong without bumping into each other. We want to learn from
their simple neural machinery to design a collision sensor to warn of
impending collision using visual information. Locusts possess uniquely
identified visual neurons that respond selectively to looming stimuli, giving
the animal a warning of impending collision. The natural predators of Locusta in Africa where the locust
evolved are small birds such as the fiscal shrike Lanius collaris humeralis
and the carmine bee-eater Merops nubicus , pictured to the left, with pectoral
diameters of 40-45mm (measurements from museum specimens). Locusta in flight are only about 100mm
wing tip to wing tip. We work on understanding the anatomy, responses and
development of the circuits in the locust brain that allow the locust to
detect approaching objects and avoid them when in flight or on the ground.
Recent publications
& links to other related websites
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Leitinger G., Masich S., Neumüller J., Pabst M.A., Pavelka M., Rind F.C.,
Shupliakov O., Simmons P.J., Kolb D. Structural organization of the presynaptic density at
identified synapses in the locust central nervous system J Comp Neurol 520(2),
384-400 (2012).
Rind F. C.,
Birkett C. L., Duncan B-J. A. and Ranken A. J. Tarantulas
cling to smooth vertical surfaces by secreting silk from their feet.
J Exp Biol 214, 1874-1879 (2011).
George, D.M., Rind, F.C., Bendall, M.W., Taylor, M.A. and Gatehouse, A.M. Developmental studies of transgenic maize expressing
Cry1Ab on the African stem borer, Busseola fusca; effects on midgut
cellular structure. Pest Manag Sci 68, 330-339 (2011).
Yue S. Santer, R.D. Yoshifumi Yamawaki, Y and
Rind, F. C.
Reactive direction control
for a mobile robot: a locust-like control of escape direction emerges when a bilateral pair of model locust visual neurons are
integrated. Autonomous
Robots 28, 151-167 (2010).
Simmons P.J., Rind F.C. and Santer R.D. Escapes
with and without preparation: the neuroethology of visual startle in
locusts. J Insect Physiol 56(8), 876-83 (2010).
Rind F.C. Santer R.D. and Wright, G.A (2008) Arousal facilitates
collision avoidance mediated by a looming sensitive visual neuron in a
flying locust. J Neurophysiol 100, 670-680 (2008).
Santer R.D., Yamawaki Y., Rind F.C. and
Simmons P.J. Preparing for escape: an examination of the role of the
DCMD neuron in locust escape jumps J
Comp Physiol A 194, 69-77 (2008)
Lińán-Cembrano, .G,
Carranza, L, Rind, F.C. Zarandy,
A, Soininen, M. and Rodríguez-Vázquez A. Insect-Vision
Inspired Collision Warning Vision Processor for Automobiles. IEEE Circuits and Systems magazine 8(2), 6 -24 (2008).
Stafford R., Santer R.D. and Rind F. C. A
Bio-inspired collision mechanism for cars: Combining insect inspired
neurons to create a robust system. Biosystems 87,162-169 (2007).
Stafford R. and Rind F.C. Data
mining neural spike trains for the identification of behavioural triggers
using evolutionary algorithms. Neurocomputing 70, 1079-1084 (2007).
Yue S. and Rind F. C. A
synthetic vision system using directionally selective motion detectors to
recognize collision. Artificial
Life 13, 93-122 (2007)
Stafford R., Santer R.D. and Rind F. C. The role of behavioural ecology in the design of
bio-inspired technology. Animal Behavior 74,
1813-1819(2007)
Yue S and Rind F. C Collision
detection in complex dynamic scenes using an LGMD-based visual neural
network with feature enhancement. IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks 17, 705-716 (2006).
Santer R.D., Rind F. C.,
Stafford R. and Simmons P.J. The role of an identified
looming-sensitive neuron in triggering a flying locust's escape J Neurophysiol 95, 3391-3400 (2006).
Yue
S., Rind F.C., Keil M.S., Cuadri-Carvajo J. and Stafford R. A Bio-inspired collision
mechanism for cars: Optimisation of a model of a locust neuron to a novel
environment. J
Neurocomputing 69, 1591-1598 (2006).
Santer, R.D., Simmons, P. J. and Rind, F.C. Gliding behaviour elicited
by lateral looming stimuli in flying locusts. J Comp Physiol A 191, 61-73. (2005).
Santer R.D., Yamawaki Y., Rind F.C. and Simmons
P.J. Motor activity and
trajectory control during escape jumping in the locust Locusta
migratoria. J Comp Physiol A 191,
965-975, 2005.
Rind F. C. Collision
avoidance and a looming sensitive neuron: Size matters but biggest is not
necessarily best. Royal Society Biology Letters
(2004)
Santer R.D. Stafford R. and Rind F. C. Retinally-generated
saccadic suppression of a locust looming-detector neuron: investigations
using a robot locust. Royal Society
Interface (2004)
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In my lab we have embedded
the locust collision detection circuitry in the control system of a small
Khepera robot (5cm in diameter) and found that the robot using the locust
circuitry can then avoid collisions when moving around an arena with
coloured Duplo bricks (Blanchard et al 2000).
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The “eye” of the robot has
a hemispheric lense that looks down around the robot with a 360 degree
field of view. A small video camera looks upward capturing the images
from the lense. We can even mimic
collision circuitry in the two eyes of the locust by dividing the robot’s
field of view in two. We can combine the two neural systems in a way that
produces the same escape trajectory as we have measured in the locust
under the same conditions (Yue et al 2010).
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Links to other websites:
Research
in the public eye:
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Articles featuring my
research have appeared in the New
Scientist April, 2000; National
Geographic News 2004; BBC
Radio 4 Today Programme 2011;
Science Magazine 2011; National Geographic Nov
2011. I have communicated concepts to a television audience on BBC News24 2000; BBC 1 Future World 2001; Channel
4/Discovery channel Oxford Scientific Films, Bugs, in 2003; Discovery Channel (USA) Weird Connections 2008-9, which documents
the connection between blue skies research and practical applications. In
2005 I was awarded an Ig Nobel prize
for my research on locust collision detectors, in particular showing the
locust STAR WARS.
With a team of undergraduates I demonstrated that Tarantulas secrete
silk-like strands from their feet when they slip: BBC News May 2011; Discovery Channel
2011 . I have explained robotics
research to a young audience at the annual Science Festival for example
in "I Robot" at the
Holmes Lecture series for 11-15yr olds, at Newcastle University in 2009,
and, at a Science Museum exhibition in London, 2010. This year I was
involved in Science Week at Leeds University, and, with Peter Simmons, I took part in the Royal
Institution Christmas lectures.
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Peter Simmons, Newcastle University p.j.simmons@ncl.ac.uk
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Rick Stafford, richard.stafford@ncl.ac.uk
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Roger Santer,
Aberystwyth University rds5@aber.ac.uk
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Yoshifumi Yamawaki, Kyushu yyamascb@kyushu-u.org
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Shigang Yue, Lincoln University yue.lincoln@gmail.com
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Gerd Leitinger, Medical University, Graz gerd.leitinger@medunigraz.at
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Julieta Sztarker, University of Buenos Aires Julieta.sztarker@ncl.ac.uk
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Jeri Wright, Newcastle University Geraldine.wright@ncl.ac.uk
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Martti Soininen, Volvo Car Corporation, Sweden
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Angel Rodríguez-Vázquez, IMSE, Seville Prof. Ángel Rodríguez-Vázquez
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Gustavo Lińán-Cembrano, IMSE, Seville Gustavo
Lińán-Cembrano
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Tamas Roska, Hungrian Academy of Sciences, Computer and
Automation Research Institute MTA SZTAKI, Budapest Prof. Tamás Roska,
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Ákos Zarándy, Hungrian Academy of Sciences, Computer and
Automation Research Institute MTA SZTAKI, Budapest Dr.
Ákos Zarándy
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