Abstract
We describe the first robot designed to emulate specific perceptual and motor capabilities of the fiddler crab. An omnidirectional robot platform uses onboard computation to process images from a \(360^{\circ }\) camera view, filtering it through a biological model of the crab’s ommatidia layout, extracting potential ‘predator’ cues, and executing an evasion response that also depends on contextual information. We show that, as for real crabs, multiple cues are needed for effective escape in different predator-prey scenarios.
T. Stouraitis and E. Gkanias contributed equally to this work and jointly assert first authorship.
This work was in part supported by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Grant (DP160102658).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Borenstein, J., Feng, L.: Gyrodometry: A new method for combining data from gyros and odometry in mobile robots. In: IEEE Robotics and Automation, vol. 1, pp. 423–428 (1996)
Hemmi, J.M.: Predator avoidance in fiddler crabs: 1. Escape decisions in relation to the risk of predation. Anim. Behav. 69(3), 603–614 (2005)
Hemmi, J.M.: Predator avoidance in fiddler crabs: 2. The visual cues. Anim. Behav. 69(3), 615–625 (2005)
Hemmi, J.M., Pfeil, A.: A multi-stage anti-predator response increases information on predation risk. J. Exp. Biol. 213(9), 1484–1489 (2010)
Hemmi, J.M., Tomsic, D.: The neuroethology of escape in crabs: from sensory ecology to neurons and back. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 22(2), 194–200 (2012)
Land, M., Layne, J.: The visual control of behaviour in fiddler crabs: I. Resolution, thresholds and the role of the horizon. J. Comp. Physiol. A. 177(1), 81–90 (1995)
Land, M., Layne, J.: The visual control of behaviour in fiddler crabs: II. Tracking control systems in courtship and defence. J. Comp. Physiol. A 177(1), 91–103 (1995)
Layne, J., Barnes, W.J.P., Duncan, L.M.J.: Mechanisms of homing in the fiddler crab Uca rapax 1. Spatial and temporal characteristics of a system of small-scale navigation. J. Exp. Biol. 206(24), 4413–4423 (2003)
Layne, J., Barnes, W.J.P., Duncan, L.M.J.: Mechanisms of homing in the fiddler crab Uca rapax 2. Information sources and frame of reference for a path integration system. J. Exp. Biol. 206(24), 4425–4442 (2003)
Nagatani, K., Tachibana, S., Sofne, M., Tanaka, Y.: Improvement of odometry for omnidirectional vehicle using optical flow information. In: Proceedings of the 2000 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on IROS 2000, vol. 1, pp. 468–473 (2000)
Oliva, D., Tomsic, D.: Visuo-motor transformations involved in the escape response to looming stimuli in the crab Neohelice (= Chasmagnathus) granulata. J. Exp. Biol. 215(19), 3488–3500 (2012)
Raderschall, C.A., Magrath, R.D., Hemmi, J.M.: Habituation under natural conditions: model predators are distinguished by approach direction. J. Exp. Biol. 214(24), 4209–4216 (2011)
Rojas, R., Förster, A.G.: Holonomic control of a robot with an omnidirectional drive. KI-Künstliche Intelligenz 20(2), 12–17 (2006)
Sandeman, D.C.: Dynamic receptors in the statocysts of crabs. Fortschritte der Zoologie 23(1), 185 (1975)
Smolka, J., Hemmi, J.M.: Topography of vision and behaviour. J. Exp. Biol. 212(21), 3522–3532 (2009)
Smolka, J., Zeil, J., Hemmi, J.M.: Natural visual cues eliciting predator avoidance in fiddler crabs. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B: Biol. Sci. 278(1724), 3584–3592 (2011)
Tomsic, D., de Astrada, M., Sztarker, J., Maldonado, H.: Behavioral and neuronal attributes of short-and long-term habituation in the crab Chasmagnathus. Neurobiol. Learn. Memory 92(2), 176–182 (2009)
Tsai, C., Tai, F., Lee, Y.: Motion controller design and embedded realization for mecanum wheeled omnidirectional robots. In: 2011 9th World Congress on Intelligent Control and Automation (WCICA), pp. 546–551. IEEE (2011)
Viboonchaicheep, P., Shimada, A., Kosaka, Y.: Position rectification control for mecanum wheeled omni-directional vehicles. In: The 29th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, IECON 2003, vol. 1, pp. 854–859. IEEE (2003)
Yi, J., Zhang, J., Song, D., Jayasuriya, S.: IMU-based localization and slip estimation for skid-steered mobile robots. In: IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IROS 2007, pp. 2845–2850. IEEE (2007)
Zeil, J., Hemmi, J.M.: The visual ecology of fiddler crabs. J. Comp. Physiol. A. 192(1), 1–25 (2006)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Stouraitis, T., Gkanias, E., Hemmi, J.M., Webb, B. (2017). Predator Evasion by a Robocrab. In: Mangan, M., Cutkosky, M., Mura, A., Verschure, P., Prescott, T., Lepora, N. (eds) Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems. Living Machines 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10384. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63537-8_36
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63537-8_36
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-63536-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-63537-8
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)