A bio-inspired visual collision detection mechanism for cars: Combining insect inspired neurons to create a robust system

Richard Stafford, Roger Douglas Santer, F. Claire Rind

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The lobula giant movement detector (LGMD) of locusts is a visual interneuron that responds with an increasing spike frequency to an object approaching on a direct collision course. Recent studies involving the use of LGMD models to detect car collisions showed that it could detect collisions, but the neuron produced collision alerts to non-colliding, translating, stimuli in many cases. This study presents a modified model to address these problems. It shows how the neurons pre-synaptic to the LGMD show a remarkable ability to filter images, and only colliding and translating stimuli produce excitation in the neuron. It then integrates the LGMD network with models based on the elementary movement detector (EMD) neurons from the fly visual system, which are used to analyse directional excitation patterns in the biologically filtered images. Combining the information from the LGMD neuron and four directionally sensitive neurons produces a robust collision detection system for a wide range of automotive test situations.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)164-171
Number of pages8
JournalBioSystems
Volume87
Issue number2-3
Early online date07 Sept 2006
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01 Feb 2007
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • LGMD
  • EMD
  • collision sensor
  • insect vision
  • Insect vision
  • Collision sensor
  • Interneurons/physiology
  • Humans
  • Automobiles
  • Systems Biology
  • Animals
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Models, Biological
  • Vision, Ocular
  • Grasshoppers/physiology
  • Video Recording
  • Visual Perception
  • Accidents, Traffic/prevention & control
  • Nerve Net/physiology

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