The analysis of orientation behaviour of insects in the virtual odour space.

这位研究人员已经建造了一个运动补偿器或伺服球体装置的原型，它可以补偿实验动物在球体上的所有运动活动，最初是在日本。在这项研究中，该设备被进一步开发用于在昆虫上进行虚拟现实实验：通过参照线索的空间模型，通过实时控制定向线索，如风和气味脉冲，将测试昆虫引导到虚拟目标。如果成功引导昆虫到达目标，该模型被证明是可行的。这就要求球体的控制比原型机更精确、更快速，因此不仅要改进仪器的硬件，而且还要改进设备的软件。本研究的前半部分包括这些实际问题的工程解决方案，如扩展实时继电控制的驱动软件和在轨迹分析程序中移植图形用户界面控件。结果，该仪器被改进为一台高速、高分辨率的机器，使测试昆虫能够实时受控地暴露在气味刺激下。然后，在该装置上研究了性信息素刺激的雄蚕蛾的拍翅功能。对被截断翅膀的雄性的实验结果表明，通过拍打翅膀来提取前方的大气空气可能是雄性将自己定位于信息素来源的主要机制。然后，设计了一个虚拟气味空间，当雄性指向虚拟目标时，它会向它发出信息素脉冲。无论雄鸟的翅膀状况如何，它都被成功地引导到目标位置。这一结果被认为证明了虚拟现实实验用于演示空间定向机制的可行性。

The researcher had already built a prototype of a locomotion compensator or servo-sphere apparatus, which compensates all the locomotive activities of a test animal on a sphere, at first in Japan. In this research, the apparatus was developed further to perform virtual reality experiments on insects : to guide a test insect toward a virtual target by the real time control of directional cues, such as wind and odour pulses, in reference to a space model of a cue. If the insect was guided successfully to reach the target, the model is proved to be viable. This requires more precise and rapid control of the sphere than that of the prototype, so not only the hardware but also the software of the apparatus had to be improved. The former part of this research includes engineering solutions of these practical issues, such as, the extension of a driver software for the real time relay control and the planting of GUI control in a track-analysis program. As a result, the apparatus was refined to be a high-speed, high-resolution machine, which enables the controlled exposure for a test insect to an odour stimulus at real time. Then the function of wing-beating performed by a sex-pheromonally stimulated male silkworm moth was investigated on the apparatus. Experimental results on wing-amputated males suggested that the extraction of atmospheric air in front by beating wings could be a principal mechanism for the male to orientate himself toward a pheromone source. Then a virtual odour space was designed to give pheromonal pulsed to a male when he directed toward a virtual target. The male was successfully guided to the target irrespective of his wing condition. The result is believed to prove the viability of a virtual reality experiment for demonstrating a spatial orientation mechanism.