Encoding of sensory information is fundamental to closing the performance gap between man-made and biological sensing. It has been hypothesized that the coupling of sensing and actuation, a phenomenon observed in bats among other species, is critical to accomplishing this. Using horseshoe bats as a model, we have developed a biomimetic pinna model with a soft actuation system along with a prototype strain sensor for enabling motor feedback. The actuation system used three individually controlled pneumatic actuators per pinna which actuated different portions of the baffle. This prototype produced eight different possible motions that were shown to have significant effects on incoming sound and could hence function as a substrate for adaptive sensing. The range of possible motions could be expanded by adjusting the fill and release parameters of the actuation system. Additionally, the strain sensor was able to represent the deformation of the pinna as measurements from this sensor were highly correlated with deformation estimates based on stereo vision. However, the relationship between displacements of points on the pinna and the sensor output was nonlinear. The improvements embodied in the system discussed here could lead to enhancements in the ability of autonomous systems to encode relevant information about the real world.

感官信息的编码是缩小人造传感和生物传感之间性能差距的基础。据推测，传感和驱动的耦合是在蝙蝠和其他物种中观察到的一种现象，对于实现这一目标至关重要。以马蹄蝠为模型，我们开发了一种仿生耳廓模型，该模型具有软驱动系统以及用于实现电机反馈的原型应变传感器。致动系统在每个耳廓使用三个单独控制的气动致动器，它们致动挡板的不同部分。这个原型产生了八种不同的可能运动，这些运动被证明对传入的声音有显着影响，因此可以作为自适应传感的基底。可以通过调整驱动系统的填充和释放参数来扩展可能的运动范围。此外，应变传感器能够表示耳廓的变形，因为该传感器的测量值与基于立体视觉的变形估计高度相关。然而，耳廓上的点位移与传感器输出之间的关系是非线性的。此处讨论的系统中体现的改进可能会增强自治系统对有关现实世界的相关信息进行编码的能力。耳廓上的点位移与传感器输出之间的关系是非线性的。此处讨论的系统中体现的改进可能会增强自治系统对有关现实世界的相关信息进行编码的能力。耳廓上的点位移与传感器输出之间的关系是非线性的。此处讨论的系统中体现的改进可能会增强自治系统对有关现实世界的相关信息进行编码的能力。