Visual navigation in ants: from visual ecology to brain
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Sch of Informatics
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
We will use complementary methodological approaches to understand the nature of the visual memory that supports navigation in ants. We will develop procedures for carrying out brain lesions in ants, targeting a range of locations in central complex and mushroom body, and investigate the consequences in visual navigation tasks. Subsequent histology will allow us to correlate lesion locations with behavioural deficits. In parallel, we will establish a new experimental system using a compensatory treadmill to allow precise control over the visual stimulation provided to freely walking ants. This method will enable extremely rapid and minimally invasive transfer of ants from a conventional arena training paradigm to this controlled testing paradigm, supporting high-throughput experiments. These experimental methods will be coupled with analytical approaches to the information content in natural scenes from the ant habitat, to refine the stimulus paradigms and provide realistic input to computational models. An agent model (a simulated ant moving through a virtual world) will allow us to test specific algorithms for visual navigation under precisely parallel conditions to the animal, and thus allow us to devise crucial paradigms for the experimental system under which alternative models make different predictions. In particular, we will examine what are the critical eye regions, the essential image information content, and the most efficient and effective encoding and retrieval schemes to account for navigational behaviour. In the same agent model, we will also test more detailed models of the relevant brain circuitry, to understand how it could support such processing, and close the loop with predictions for new trackball and lesion studies and potential extensions towards single-cell electrophysiology of neurons in relevant brain regions.
Planned Impact
Insect-inspired visual algorithms have many potential applications in technology, as they offer efficient and economical solutions to real-world problems, including detection and tracking, visual stabilisation, impact prediction, and the focus of our study, navigation. Sensor and computational systems directly derived from research on insect behaviour and neurobiology have been applied to car safety systems, autonomous air vehicles and robotics. In most cases this has involved relatively simple reflex behaviours, where biological knowledge of the mechanisms is better established. We plan through the current research to make a significant advance in understanding the more complex algorithms that allow insects to navigate robustly and reliably, and will actively explore the potential for transfer to engineering in two main domains.
1) Supporting human navigation through the development of apps for mobile devices. While satnav has revolutionised human way-finding, there are still a number of scenarios in which it is unavailable or inaccurate, or simply not appropriate to the task, such as remembering routes through corridors in a multi-story building. This is both an everyday problem and one that is important in specific contexts such as hospitals where age-related memory loss complicates an already challenging task. An insect-inspired approach has a number of advantages in this context: it does not rely on object recognition; it is relies on the global scene and is thus relatively robust to local change; it does not involve hefty computation hence is viable to implement on small cheap devices; it depends largely on a single visual input (i.e. without direct depth information) so can exploit the ubiquity of cameras on hand-held devices. In the Pathways to Impact we describe our specific plans to develop and evaluate such a mobile phone app.
2) Supporting robot and autonomous vehicle navigation. Our intent here is not to challenge the current paradigm in autonomous car and conventional robotic development which relies on building complete 3D representations of the environment to plan motion, but rather to focus on systems that are suitable for small, cheap robots with relative limited computational power. A target application is agriculture, which is recognised as an industry with huge potential to benefit from increased automation if the problems of dealing with complex, cluttered natural terrain (very different to road systems) can be solved. Many of the advantages described above for the insect-inspired approach translate equally to this scenario, with the additional advantage that the navigational solutions of insects evolved for precisely such environments. Both Edinburgh and Sussex are already active in robot research and have excellent contacts and infrastructure to take this work forward, as described in the Pathways to Impact. Solutions in this domain may generalise to other important areas such as environmental monitoring and clean-up.
Both the technologies described above have obvious potential for societal benefits and link to RCUK national priorities.
In addition, ant navigation research is a very effective topic in public communication of science, as the problem faced by the animals is easy to present and imagine, but the abilities exhibited by this 'mere insect' highly surprising and impressive. We already have extensive involvement in outreach activities that present the 'navigation challenge' faced by ants to humans and use this to generate interest and understanding in biology and computation; with an additional side-effect of providing data on human navigation. As described in the Pathways to Impact, we plan to expand this approach to a web-based citizen science experiment. This will provide a better transfer of information than traditional science outreach through both higher quality engagement and higher quantity involvement.
1) Supporting human navigation through the development of apps for mobile devices. While satnav has revolutionised human way-finding, there are still a number of scenarios in which it is unavailable or inaccurate, or simply not appropriate to the task, such as remembering routes through corridors in a multi-story building. This is both an everyday problem and one that is important in specific contexts such as hospitals where age-related memory loss complicates an already challenging task. An insect-inspired approach has a number of advantages in this context: it does not rely on object recognition; it is relies on the global scene and is thus relatively robust to local change; it does not involve hefty computation hence is viable to implement on small cheap devices; it depends largely on a single visual input (i.e. without direct depth information) so can exploit the ubiquity of cameras on hand-held devices. In the Pathways to Impact we describe our specific plans to develop and evaluate such a mobile phone app.
2) Supporting robot and autonomous vehicle navigation. Our intent here is not to challenge the current paradigm in autonomous car and conventional robotic development which relies on building complete 3D representations of the environment to plan motion, but rather to focus on systems that are suitable for small, cheap robots with relative limited computational power. A target application is agriculture, which is recognised as an industry with huge potential to benefit from increased automation if the problems of dealing with complex, cluttered natural terrain (very different to road systems) can be solved. Many of the advantages described above for the insect-inspired approach translate equally to this scenario, with the additional advantage that the navigational solutions of insects evolved for precisely such environments. Both Edinburgh and Sussex are already active in robot research and have excellent contacts and infrastructure to take this work forward, as described in the Pathways to Impact. Solutions in this domain may generalise to other important areas such as environmental monitoring and clean-up.
Both the technologies described above have obvious potential for societal benefits and link to RCUK national priorities.
In addition, ant navigation research is a very effective topic in public communication of science, as the problem faced by the animals is easy to present and imagine, but the abilities exhibited by this 'mere insect' highly surprising and impressive. We already have extensive involvement in outreach activities that present the 'navigation challenge' faced by ants to humans and use this to generate interest and understanding in biology and computation; with an additional side-effect of providing data on human navigation. As described in the Pathways to Impact, we plan to expand this approach to a web-based citizen science experiment. This will provide a better transfer of information than traditional science outreach through both higher quality engagement and higher quantity involvement.
People |
ORCID iD |
Barbara Webb (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Buehlmann C
(2023)
Impact of central complex lesions on innate and learnt visual navigation in ants
in Journal of Comparative Physiology A
Buehlmann C
(2020)
Mushroom Bodies Are Required for Learned Visual Navigation, but Not for Innate Visual Behavior, in Ants.
in Current biology : CB
Goulard R
(2021)
A unified mechanism for innate and learned visual landmark guidance in the insect central complex.
in PLoS computational biology
Goulard R
(2020)
A motion compensation treadmill for untethered wood ants ( Formica rufa ): evidence for transfer of orientation memories from free-walking training
in Journal of Experimental Biology
Goulard R
(2023)
Emergent spatial goals in an integrative model of the insect central complex.
in PLoS computational biology
Webb B
(2020)
Robots with insect brains.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Webb B
(2019)
The internal maps of insects.
in The Journal of experimental biology
Description | We have established that it is possible to get ants to walk for extended periods (an hour or more) on a motion compensator designed and built as part of this project. This has been used in novel experiments showing that ants can express learnt preferences for visual cues and navigation information while on the treadmill, and we are developing VR screens to allow us to analyse the visual responses. In parallel we have investigated computational models of the ant's behaviour. We have also shown it is possible to make targetted lesions of specific brain areas in ants and observe behavioural effects that are consistent with our models of visual navigation. We have demonstrated for the first time that the Mushroom Bodies of the ant brain are necessary for visual navigation using learned visual information. We have also demonstrated that lateralized lesions to the central complex of ant impacts on turning behaviour during active visual guidance We have developed a novel model of the interaction between Mushroom Body and Central Complex which can account for innate and learned visual behaviour and the interaction between the two. |
Exploitation Route | Both the motion compensator and lesion methodologies should be of use to other researchers in this field. The modelling work has application to explanation of other insect behaviours and to robotics. |
Sectors | Other |
Description | Several of the insect visual system properties investigated in this project have been taken forward by Opteran Technologies as potential products. |
First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Other |
Impact Types | Economic |
Description | From insect navigation to neuromorphic intelligence |
Amount | £1,960 (GBP) |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2020 |
End | 05/2020 |
Description | Guarantee funding via Innovate UK for European Commission EIC Pathfinder award |
Amount | £200,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 10032249 |
Organisation | Innovate UK |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2022 |
End | 03/2026 |
Title | Motion compensator for ant |
Description | We have developed a novel system that allows ant to walk freely and untethered on top of a large sphere which compensates for its motion (using fast camera tracking and feedback) to keep it in the same position. |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | This system can be used with 'virtual reality' feedback to the ant to greatly enhance the scope and throughput of behavioural experiments. |
Title | Model of innate and learned visual guidance in insect central complex |
Description | We implement a computational model for the behavioural integration of innate and learned guidance based on the neuroanatomy of the central complex (CX), adapted to control landmark guided behaviours. |
Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | The model is being further developed in follow-on research in collaboration with the University of Lund |
Description | FU Berlin |
Organisation | Free University of Berlin |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have designed models and experiments to understand honeybee dance behaviour. |
Collaborator Contribution | Prof. Tim Landgraf at FU-Berlin has co-supervised my PhD student. They have also provided research facilities and technical support for my student to carry out a two-month experimental project. |
Impact | The student's work has been presented at conferences and will appear as a paper in Current Biology. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Sussex |
Organisation | University of Sussex |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Joint work on behavioural experiments on ants which is now linked to model development and a funded grant proposal |
Collaborator Contribution | Behavioural and neural methods for ant experiments |
Impact | Multidisciplinary - robotics and biology |
Start Year | 2016 |
Title | A motion compensation treadmill for untethered wood ants |
Description | The natural scale of insect navigation during foraging makes it challenging to study under controlled conditions. Virtual reality and trackball setups have offered experimental control over visual environments while studying tethered insects, but potential limitations and confounds introduced by tethering motivates the development of alternative untethered solutions. In this paper, we validate the use of a motion compensator (or 'treadmill') to study visually driven behaviour of freely moving wood ants (Formica rufa). We show how this setup allows naturalistic walking behaviour and preserves foraging motivation over long time frames. Furthermore, we show that ants are able to transfer associative and navigational memories from classical maze and arena contexts to our treadmill. Thus, we demonstrate the possibility to study navigational behaviour over ecologically relevant durations (and virtual distances) in precisely controlled environments, bridging the gap between natural and highly controlled laboratory experiments. |
Type Of Technology | Systems, Materials & Instrumental Engineering |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Impact | This technology has allowed for a new generation of behavioural experiments with visual navigating wood ants. |
URL | https://jeb.biologists.org/content/223/24/jeb228601 |
Description | Embodied AI podcast |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Barbara Webb was interviewed for the The Embodied AI Podcast, promoted by the British Neuroscience Association. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://anchor.fm/the-embodied-ai-podcast |
Description | Scotsman article |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Invited to write Opinion column for the Scotsman newspaper |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/how-engineers-are-learning-from-the-powerful-circui... |