Blinding speed: Effects of relative motion on visually guided pursuit

致盲速度：相对运动对视觉引导追踪的影响

• 批准号: 0950688
• 负责人: Cole Gilbert
• 金额: $ 32.5万
• 依托单位: Cornell University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-06-15 至 2017-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0950688&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Blinding; speed; Effects; relative; motion

Ever photograph a moving object using a camera set at too slow a shutter speed? If so, then you know that the resulting image may be low contrast and blurry. Similar optical principles apply to biological visual systems. When the speed of retinal photoreceptors and/or neurons in the brain is not fast enough to overcome the relative velocity between the observer and the target, the visual image can become too blurred for the observer to recognize objects. Humans rarely experience this effect because we move slowly, but many animals move quickly and suffer motion blur during pursuit of targets. This project will investigate the visual and locomotory systems of fast-running, predatory tiger beetles that go blind while chasing prey and must stop briefly (tens of milliseconds) to re-localize the prey and then run again. The basic question is why does the beetle run faster than its eyes and brain can process target images? Dr. Gilbert will use a combination of 1) electrophysiological experiments on nerve cells at different levels in the beetle's visual system to test their response to moving targets, 2) behavioral studies of tethered beetles chasing computer generated, virtual reality images to quantify the effects of motion blur on pursuit tracking, and 3) computer modeling of the perception of the moving world viewed by a simulated beetle visual system to determine whether the beetle goes blind in all areas of the visual field or whether some running strategies may reduce blur in certain areas and allow continued tracking. By investigating an extreme biological example of the effects of motion blur on a tracking system, Dr. Gilbert will discover design principles about the nature of all visual systems, as well as provide insight into the limits of man-made machine vision systems and possible strategies for overcoming deleterious effects of motion blur. In terms of broader impacts related to education and nurturing of future scientists, the project will provide interdisciplinary training between engineering and biology for a post-doctoral fellow and undergraduate students.

有没有用过快门速度太慢的相机拍摄移动的物体？ 如果是这样的话，那么你知道结果图像可能是低对比度和模糊的。 类似的光学原理也适用于生物视觉系统。当大脑中视网膜光感受器和/或神经元的速度不足以克服观察者和目标之间的相对速度时，视觉图像可能变得过于模糊，以至于观察者无法识别物体。 人类很少经历这种效应，因为我们移动缓慢，但许多动物移动迅速，在追逐目标时会出现运动模糊。 这个项目将研究快速奔跑的捕食性虎甲虫的视觉和运动系统，这些虎甲虫在追逐猎物时失明，必须短暂停留（数十毫秒）以重新定位猎物，然后再次奔跑。 基本问题是为什么甲虫跑得比它的眼睛和大脑处理目标图像的速度还要快？ 吉尔伯特博士将结合使用1）对甲虫视觉系统中不同层次的神经细胞进行电生理实验，以测试它们对移动目标的反应，2）对系留甲虫追逐计算机生成的虚拟现实图像的行为研究，以量化运动模糊对追踪的影响，和3）通过计算机模拟甲虫视觉系统观察移动世界的感知，以确定甲虫是否在视野的所有区域都失明，或者某些运行策略是否可以减少模糊在某些地区，并允许继续跟踪。 通过研究运动模糊对跟踪系统影响的极端生物学例子，吉尔伯特博士将发现所有视觉系统的设计原理，并深入了解人造机器视觉系统的局限性和克服运动模糊有害影响的可能策略。 就与教育和培养未来科学家有关的更广泛影响而言，该项目将为博士后研究员和本科生提供工程学和生物学之间的跨学科培训。