Construction of a Brain-Machine Hybrid System to Investigate Adaptive Functionality of a Micro Brain

Abstract

We have created a brain-machine hybrid system (BMHS) which is able to solve the chemical plume tracing (CPT) problem using a micro brain of a male silkworm moth. The purpose of the system is to investigate adaptability which is derived from interactions between the microbrain, body, and environment. In this paper, we describe a method of creating the BMHS. The BMHS is a kind of cyborg system in which the body of a living being is replaced with a mobile robot and its brain is used to control the robot. The artificial body is controlled by motor commands for the original body that are extracted from a signal recorded in the brain. For that purpose, a small measurement system to record the signals was created and a method to reconstruct the motor commands from the signals was established. We demonstrate the BMHS can behave like a silkworm moth and then confirmed the system can solve the CPT problem in an experimental environment. Our system has the potential to reveal principles of adaptability in silkworm moth behavior.