Grade-control outdoor turning flight of robo-pigeon with quantitative stimulus parameters

Ke Fang; Hao Mei; Yezhong Tang; Wenbo Wang; Hao Wang; Zhouyi Wang; Zhendong Dai

doi:10.3389/fnbot.2023.1143601

Grade-control outdoor turning flight of robo-pigeon with quantitative stimulus parameters

Front Neurorobot. 2023 Apr 17:17:1143601. doi: 10.3389/fnbot.2023.1143601. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Ke Fang¹, Hao Mei¹, Yezhong Tang^{1

2}, Wenbo Wang¹, Hao Wang¹, Zhouyi Wang¹, Zhendong Dai¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
² Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

Abstract

Introduction: The robo-pigeon using homing pigeons as a motion carrier has great potential in search and rescue operations due to its superior weight-bearing capacity and sustained flight capabilities. However, before deploying such robo-pigeons, it is necessary to establish a safe, stable, and long-term effective neuro-electrical stimulation interface and quantify the motion responses to various stimuli.

Methods: In this study, we investigated the effects of stimulation variables such as stimulation frequency (SF), stimulation duration (SD), and inter-stimulus interval (ISI) on the turning flight control of robo-pigeons outdoors, and evaluated the efficiency and accuracy of turning flight behavior accordingly.

Results: The results showed that the turning angle can be significantly controlled by appropriately increasing SF and SD. Increasing ISI can significantly control the turning radius of robotic pigeons. The success rate of turning flight control decreases significantly when the stimulation parameters exceed SF > 100 Hz or SD > 5 s. Thus, the robo-pigeon's turning angle from 15 to 55° and turning radius from 25 to 135 m could be controlled in a graded manner by selecting varying stimulus variables.

Discussion: These findings can be used to optimize the stimulation strategy of robo-pigeons to achieve precise control of their turning flight behavior outdoors. The results also suggest that robo-pigeons have potential for use in search and rescue operations where precise control of flight behavior is required.

Keywords: animal robots; electrical microstimulation; robo-pigeon; stimulation parameters; turning flight control.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by a grant from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (number 2020YFB1313504) and the grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (number 61973159).