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Dehghani S, Sommersperger M, Yang J, Salehi M, Busam B, Huang K, Gehlbach P, Iordachita I, Navab N, Nasseri MA. ColibriDoc: An Eye-in-Hand Autonomous Trocar Docking System. IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION : ICRA : [PROCEEDINGS]. IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION 2022; 2022:7717-7723. [PMID: 36128019 PMCID: PMC9484558 DOI: 10.1109/icra46639.2022.9811364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Retinal surgery is a complex medical procedure that requires exceptional expertise and dexterity. For this purpose, several robotic platforms are currently under development to enable or improve the outcome of microsurgical tasks. Since the control of such robots is often designed for navigation inside the eye in proximity to the retina, successful trocar docking and insertion of the instrument into the eye represents an additional cognitive effort, and is therefore one of the open challenges in robotic retinal surgery. For this purpose, we present a platform for autonomous trocar docking that combines computer vision and a robotic setup. Inspired by the Cuban Colibri (hummingbird) aligning its beak to a flower using only vision, we mount a camera onto the endeffector of a robotic system. By estimating the position and pose of the trocar, the robot is able to autonomously align and navigate the instrument towards the Trocar Entry Point (TEP) and finally perform the insertion. Our experiments show that the proposed method is able to accurately estimate the position and pose of the trocar and achieve repeatable autonomous docking. The aim of this work is to reduce the complexity of the robotic setup prior to the surgical task and therefore, increase the intuitiveness of the system integration into clinical workflow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Dehghani
- Department of Computer Science in Technische Universität München, München 85748 Germany
| | - Michael Sommersperger
- Department of Computer Science in Technische Universität München, München 85748 Germany
| | - Junjie Yang
- Augenklinik und Poliklinik, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technische Universität München, München 81675 Germany
| | - Mehrdad Salehi
- Department of Computer Science in Technische Universität München, München 85748 Germany
| | - Benjamin Busam
- Department of Computer Science in Technische Universität München, München 85748 Germany
| | - Kai Huang
- Key Laboratory of Machine Intelligence and Advanced Computing (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangzhou, China
| | - Peter Gehlbach
- Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Iulian Iordachita
- Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nassir Navab
- Full professor and head of the Chair for Computer Aided Medical Procedures Augmented Reality, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Munich, Germany, and an adjunct professor at the Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - M Ali Nasseri
- Department of Computer Science in Technische Universität München, München 85748 Germany
- Augenklinik und Poliklinik, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technische Universität München, München 81675 Germany
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2
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Roderick WRT, Cutkosky MR, Lentink D. Bird-inspired dynamic grasping and perching in arboreal environments. Sci Robot 2021; 6:eabj7562. [PMID: 34851710 DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.abj7562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Birds take off and land on a wide range of complex surfaces. In contrast, current robots are limited in their ability to dynamically grasp irregular objects. Leveraging recent findings on how birds take off, land, and grasp, we developed a biomimetic robot that can dynamically perch on complex surfaces and grasp irregular objects. To accommodate high-speed collisions, the robot’s two legs passively transform impact energy into grasp force, while the underactuated grasping mechanism wraps around irregularly shaped objects in less than 50 milliseconds. To determine the range of hardware design, kinematic, behavior, and perch parameters that are sufficient for perching success, we launched the robot at tree branches. The results corroborate our mathematical model, which shows that larger isometrically scaled animals and robots must accommodate disproportionately larger angular momenta, relative to their mass, to achieve similar landing performance. We find that closed-loop balance control serves an important role in maximizing the range of parameters sufficient for perching. The performance of the robot’s biomimetic features attests to the functionality of their avian counterparts, and the robot enables us to study aspects of bird legs in ways that are infeasible in vivo. Our data show that pronounced differences in modern avian toe arrangements do not yield large changes in perching performance, suggesting that arboreal perching does not represent a strong selection pressure among common bird toe topographies. These findings advance our understanding of the avian perching apparatus and highlight design concepts that enable robots to perch on natural surfaces for environmental monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- W R T Roderick
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - M R Cutkosky
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - D Lentink
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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Mahandran V, Murugan CM, Gang W, Jin C, Nathan PT. Multimodal cues facilitate ripe-fruit localization and extraction in free-ranging pteropodid bats. Behav Processes 2021; 189:104426. [PMID: 34048877 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Sensory cues play an important role in any plant-animal interaction. Yet, we know very little about the cues used by wild mammals during fruit selection. Existing evidence mainly comes from captive studies and suggests that the pteropodid bats rely on olfaction to find fruits. In this study, we avoided captivity-generated stressors and provide insights from natural selective forces by performing manipulative experiments on free-ranging fruit bats (Cynopterus sphinx) in a wild setting, in a tree species that exhibits a bat-fruit syndrome (Madhuca longifolia var. latifolia). We find that visual cues are necessary and sufficient to locate ripe fruits. Fruit experiments exhibiting visual cues alone received more bat visits than those exhibiting other combinations of visual and olfactory cues. Ripe fruit extractions were higher by bats that evaluated fruits by perching than hovering, indicating an additional cue, i.e., haptic cue. Visual cues appear to be informative over short distances, whereas olfactory and haptic cues facilitate the fruit evaluation for those bats that used hovering and perching strategies, respectively. This study also shows that adult bats were more skillful in extracting ripe fruits than the young bats, and there was a positive correlation between the weight of selected fruits and bat weight. This study suggests that the integration of multimodal cues (visual, olfactory and haptic) facilitate ripe-fruit localization and extraction in free-ranging pteropodid bats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valliyappan Mahandran
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | | | - Wang Gang
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | - Chen Jin
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China
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Dakin R, Segre PS, Altshuler DL. Individual variation and the biomechanics of maneuvering flight in hummingbirds. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:223/20/jeb161828. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.161828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
An animal's maneuverability will determine the outcome of many of its most important interactions. A common approach to studying maneuverability is to force the animal to perform a specific maneuver or to try to elicit maximal performance. Recently, the availability of wider-field tracking technology has allowed for high-throughput measurements of voluntary behavior, an approach that produces large volumes of data. Here, we show how these data allow for measures of inter-individual variation that are necessary to evaluate how performance depends on other traits, both within and among species. We use simulated data to illustrate best practices when sampling a large number of voluntary maneuvers. Our results show how the sample average can be the best measure of inter-individual variation, whereas the sample maximum is neither repeatable nor a useful metric of the true variation among individuals. Our studies with flying hummingbirds reveal that their maneuvers fall into three major categories: simple translations, simple rotations and complex turns. Simple maneuvers are largely governed by distinct morphological and/or physiological traits. Complex turns involve both translations and rotations, and are more subject to inter-individual differences that are not explained by morphology. This three-part framework suggests that different wingbeat kinematics can be used to maximize specific aspects of maneuverability. Thus, a broad explanatory framework has emerged for interpreting hummingbird maneuverability. This framework is general enough to be applied to other types of locomotion, and informative enough to explain mechanisms of maneuverability that could be applied to both animals and bio-inspired robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Dakin
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - P. S. Segre
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 93950, USA
| | - D. L. Altshuler
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 4200-6270 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Goller B, Fellows TK, Dakin R, Tyrrell L, Fernández-Juricic E, Altshuler DL. Spatial and Temporal Resolution of the Visual System of the Anna's Hummingbird ( Calypte anna) Relative to Other Birds. Physiol Biochem Zool 2019; 92:481-495. [PMID: 31393209 DOI: 10.1086/705124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Hummingbirds are an emerging model for studies of the visual guidance of flight. However, basic properties of their visual systems, such as spatial and temporal visual resolution, have not been characterized. We measured both the spatial and temporal visual resolution of Anna's hummingbirds using behavioral experiments and anatomical estimates. Spatial visual resolution was determined behaviorally using the optocollic reflex and anatomically using peak retinal ganglion cell densities from retinal whole mounts and eye size. Anna's hummingbirds have a spatial visual resolution of 5-6 cycles per degree when measured behaviorally, which matches anatomical estimates (fovea: 6.26 ± 0.12 cycles per degree; area temporalis: 5.59 ± 0.15 cycles per degree; and whole eye average: 4.64 ± 0.08 ). To determine temporal visual resolution, we used an operant conditioning paradigm wherein hummingbirds were trained to use a flickering light to find a food reward. The limits of temporal visual resolution were estimated as 70-80 Hz. To compare Anna's hummingbirds with other bird species, we used a phylogenetically controlled analysis of previously published data on avian visual resolutions and body size. Our measurements for Anna's hummingbird vision fall close to and below predictions based on body size for spatial visual resolution and temporal visual resolution, respectively. These results indicate that the enhanced flight performance and foraging behaviors of hummingbirds do not require enhanced spatial or temporal visual resolution. This finding is important for interpreting flight control studies and contributes to a growing understanding of avian vision.
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Altshuler DL, Srinivasan MV. Comparison of Visually Guided Flight in Insects and Birds. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:157. [PMID: 29615852 PMCID: PMC5864886 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2017] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last half century, work with flies, bees, and moths have revealed a number of visual guidance strategies for controlling different aspects of flight. Some algorithms, such as the use of pattern velocity in forward flight, are employed by all insects studied so far, and are used to control multiple flight tasks such as regulation of speed, measurement of distance, and positioning through narrow passages. Although much attention has been devoted to long-range navigation and homing in birds, until recently, very little was known about how birds control flight in a moment-to-moment fashion. A bird that flies rapidly through dense foliage to land on a branch—as birds often do—engages in a veritable three-dimensional slalom, in which it has to continually dodge branches and leaves, and find, and possibly even plan a collision-free path to the goal in real time. Each mode of flight from take-off to goal could potentially involve a different visual guidance algorithm. Here, we briefly review strategies for visual guidance of flight in insects, synthesize recent work from short-range visual guidance in birds, and offer a general comparison between the two groups of organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas L Altshuler
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Mandyam V Srinivasan
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.,School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
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7
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Hummingbirds use taste and touch to discriminate against nectar resources that contain Argentine ants. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2456-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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8
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Tyrrell LP, Goller B, Moore BA, Altshuler DL, Fernández-Juricic E. The Orientation of Visual Space from the Perspective of Hummingbirds. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:16. [PMID: 29440985 PMCID: PMC5797624 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Vision is a key component of hummingbird behavior. Hummingbirds hover in front of flowers, guide their bills into them for foraging, and maneuver backwards to undock from them. Capturing insects is also an important foraging strategy for most hummingbirds. However, little is known about the visual sensory specializations hummingbirds use to guide these two foraging strategies. We characterized the hummingbird visual field configuration, degree of eye movement, and orientation of the centers of acute vision. Hummingbirds had a relatively narrow binocular field (~30°) that extended above and behind their heads. Their blind area was also relatively narrow (~23°), which increased their visual coverage (about 98% of their celestial hemisphere). Additionally, eye movement amplitude was relatively low (~9°), so their ability to converge or diverge their eyes was limited. We confirmed that hummingbirds have two centers of acute vision: a fovea centralis, projecting laterally, and an area temporalis, projecting more frontally. This retinal configuration is similar to other predatory species, which may allow hummingbirds to enhance their success at preying on insects. However, there is no evidence that their temporal area could visualize the bill tip or that eye movements could compensate for this constraint. Therefore, guidance of precise bill position during the process of docking occurs via indirect cues or directly with low visual acuity despite having a temporal center of acute vision. The large visual coverage may favor the detection of predators and competitors even while docking into a flower. Overall, hummingbird visual configuration does not seem specialized for flower docking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke P Tyrrell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States.,Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY, United States
| | - Benjamin Goller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Bret A Moore
- William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Douglas L Altshuler
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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