[A water maze for testing the motion of aquatic animal robots]

Sheng Wu Yi Xue Gong Cheng Xue Za Zhi. 2018 Jun 25;35(3):429-434. doi: 10.7507/1001-5515.201712082.
[Article in Chinese]

Abstract

The existing mazes are mainly used to study the learning and memory of animals. However, there is still a lack of corresponding maze and method in the aspect of the observation and test of aquatic animal robots. For this purpose, the authors have developed a three-dimensional water maze combined with bilayer multi-channel which equips with stratified lines and tick marks. This device is a rectangular structure composed of one square bottom and four rectangular side walls, and the channels of every side wall are composed of one upper channel and two lower channels. The center of the upper channels is in the vertical center line of every side wall, and the two uper channels of adjacent side walls are at 90° degrees with each other, and the two lower channels of adjacent side walls are at 45° degrees with each other. There are stratified lines and tick marks on the side wall to test the spatial location and movement trajectories of aquatic animals. The carp robot was put into the water maze for the underwater experimental detection. The success rates of left and right steering at 135, 90 and 45 degrees as well as forward motion of the carp robots ( n = 10) were over 60%. This study showed that the device could be used to observe and test the motion of the carp robot.

现有迷宫主要是用于动物学习记忆研究,而在水生动物机器人运动观察与测试方面还缺乏相应迷宫与方法,为此本文研制了一种带有分层线和刻度线的双层多通道的组合式立体水迷宫。该装置由 1 个正方形底面和 4 个长方形侧壁组成的长方体结构,四面侧壁通道均由 1 个上层通道和 2 个下层通道组成,4 个上层通道圆心均在侧壁垂直中线上,相邻两上层通道呈 90° 角,相邻侧壁两下层通道呈 45° 角,侧壁带有分层线和刻度线,可测试水生动物所处的空间位置与运动轨迹。将鲤鱼机器人置入水迷宫进行水下实验检测,鲤鱼机器人( n = 10)进行 135°、90° 和 45° 的左右转向及前进运动成功率均超过 60%,表明该装置可实现鲤鱼机器人运动的观察与测试。.

Keywords: aquatic animal; biological control; learning and memory; water maze.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Maze Learning*
  • Memory*
  • Robotics*
  • Water

Substances

  • Water

Grants and funding

国家自然科学基金资助项目(61573305);国家高技术研究发展计划(863计划)项目