title: An adaptive gaze stabilization controller inspired by the vestibulo-ocular reflex.
abstract: The vestibulo-ocular reflex stabilizes vision in many vertebrates. It integrates inertial and visual information to drive the eyes in the opposite direction to head movement and thereby stabilizes the image on the retina. Its adaptive nature guarantees stable vision even when the biological system undergoes dynamic changes (due to disease, growth or fatigue etc), a characteristic especially desirable in autonomous robotic systems. Based on novel, biologically plausible neurological models, we have developed a robotic testbed to qualitatively evaluate the performance of these algorithms. We show how the adaptive controller can adapt to a time varying plant and elaborate how this biologically inspired control architecture can be employed in general engineering applications where sensory feedback is very noisy and/or delayed.
authors.affiliation: Bristol Robotics Laboratories, University of Bristol & University of the West of England, Bristol Business Park, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, BS16 1QD, GB, UK. alex.lenz@brl.ac.uk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lenz
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Balakrishnan
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Pipe
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Melhuish
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D032701:Biomimetics / Q000379:methods*; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D005246:Feedback; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D012027:Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D012371:Robotics / Q000379:methods*