Research on rat whiskers offers knowledge in neuroscience analogous to humans\' sense of touch and inspiration for efficient sensing robotics. The present work investigates the rat whisker system from a mechanical engineering perspective. First, key quasi-static and dynamic properties were quantified in Chapter 2 for individual whiskers in an array, which were modeled as tapered cones and based on their anatomic and geometric properties. Second, integrating an existing mechanical model with careful coordinate transformations, simulations of two experiments were conducted. Chapter 3 details evidence that single whiskers contain sufficient mechanical information for localization, as a result of their characteristic whisking kinematics. The results aligned with behavioral experimental observations. Chapter 4 of this work computes the whisker\'s mechanical responses to piezoelectric stimuli and successfully predicts the neural responses in primary afferents temporally associated with the stimuli during electro-physiological experiments. The predictions also lay an important groundwork for continued investigations in the dynamics of follicles and mechanoreceptors. Finally, inspired by the principles of whisker neuro-mechanics, a robotic sensor incorporating a biological "real" rat whisker is featured in Chapter 5. The sensor is capable of sensing tactile and air ow magnitudes and directions in four axes. The whisker sensor possesses great potential as a soft, bio-inspired electronic whisker ("e-whisker") for haptic technology as well as health monitoring. The sensor also provides true-to-scale biomimetics, which is directly translatable to the mechanics of whiskers in biological systems.

Last modified

• 09/30/2019

Creator

• En-Tzu Yang

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/n2-cydb-dy25

Subject

• Mechanical Engineering

Keyword

• Mechanics
• Wearable sensor
• Neuroscience
• Rat Whisker
• Bio-inspired robotics

Date created

• 1/1/2018

Resource type

• Dissertation

Rights statement

• In Copyright