Development of a whisker sensor system and simulation of active whisking for agent navigation

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to explore whisker systems as a sensory modality in animals (rodents) and robots with respect to their adaptive potential. To this end, we have developed an active whisker system. Whiskers from real mice, when attached to capacitor microphones, can detect very weak stimuli at their tips. Different eigen frequencies are induced in the whisker according to the materials over which the whiskers move. Whisking is active, i.e., they can move back and forth to induce sensory stimulation even when an agent is not moving. In this study, active whisking is applied to navigation tasks. The results show that materials can be distinguished using 2-3 kHz signals, which correspond to the experimental evidence obtained from animals.