Gerhard von der Emde
Papers
6
Total Citations
95
H-Index
4
About
Gerhard von der Emde is a pioneering researcher in the field of animal behavior and bio-inspired robotics, with a specific focus on the sensory biology and social communication of weakly electric fish. His work centers on understanding how these nocturnal African fish use self-generated electric fields for orientation, navigation, and complex social interactions. Von der Emde’s major contributions lie in the development of biomimetic robotic dummy fish that can interact with live fish in a mixed bio-hybrid system. Through these innovative tools, he has demonstrated that fish engage in mutual social attention and synchronized electric signaling, revealing sophisticated communication strategies. His studies, such as those on *Mormyrus rume*, show that fish coordinate their electric organ discharges (EODs) to initiate group behavior and allocate social attention. With over 95 citations across his most-cited papers, his work has significant impact, particularly the 2016 study on collective behavior and electrocommunication (35 citations) and the 2018 paper on interactive signaling (31 citations). Von der Emde’s research not only advances fundamental knowledge of non-visual orientation and communication but also provides a model system for developing autonomous underwater robots with an electric sense, as explored in the European ANGELS project.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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