CRCNS: Innovative technologies inspired by biosonar

描述（由申请人提供）：健康人体功能的基础是将感觉信息转换为运动命令，以进行适应性行为，例如在环境中达到、抓握、跟踪和转向。 更全面地了解支持神经系统这些重要功能的机制，将有助于治疗和康复，当它们无法正常发育或因疾病而崩溃时。 我们的CRCNS项目采用创新的多学科方法，以推进神经生物学和医学中这一核心问题的技术和理论，并利用工程，系统神经科学和计算建模方面的协调努力。 具体而言，我们建议将小型化无线电遥测记录，先进的信号处理，控制系统理论，自适应运动研究和空间行为。 实证研究将采用一种动物模型，该模型已经进化出一种非常成功的自适应声纳导航系统，即回声定位蝙蝠。 这种哺乳动物主动控制复杂的运动行为，由从声学信号中提取的动态三维空间信息指导。 我们将收集，分析和解释来自自由飞行回声定位蝙蝠的行为和神经记录，这些数据将用于感觉运动反馈控制和复杂环境中空间导航的计算模型。 这项工作将指导机器人自适应控制新算法的开发以及神经形态工程中的应用。 它还将为广泛的生物医学应用奠定基础，例如植入式神经假体，超轻低功耗传感器，控制器，医疗工具设计和基于声纳的辅助医疗设备。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Fundamental to health human function is the transformation of sensory information to motor commands for adaptive behaviors such as reaching, grasping, tracking, and steering in the environment. A more complete understanding of the mechanisms that support these vital functions of the nervous system will facilitate treatment and rehabilitation when they fail to develop normally or break down through disease. Our CRCNS project takes an innovative, multidisciplinary approach to advance technology and theory on this central problem in neurobiology and medicine, drawing on the coordinated efforts in engineering, systems neuroscience and computational modeling. Specifically, we propose to integrate miniaturized radio telemetry recordings, advanced signal processing, control systems theory, adaptive motor studies and spatial behaviors. Empirical studies will employ an animal model that has evolved a highly successful adaptive sonar-guidance system, the echolocating bat. This mammal actively controls a complex of motor behaviors, guided by dynamic, 3-D spatial information extracted from acoustic signals. We will collect, analyze, and interpret behavioral and neural recordings from a free-flying echolocating bat, and this data will be used in computational models of sensorimotor feedback control and spatial navigation through complex environments. This work will direct the development of new algorithms for adaptive control in robotics and applications in neuromorphic engineering. It will also lay the foundation for a wide range of biomedical applications, such as implantable neural prostheses, ultra-lightweight low power sensors, controllers, medical tool design, and sonar-based assistive medical devices.