title: How to track spermatozoa using high-speed visual feedback.
abstract: In this paper, we report how to track quickly and vigorously swimming ascidian spermatozoa using high-speed visual feedback at a frame rate of 1 kHz. Ascidian spermatozoa swim as fast as 300 microm/s by rotating their flagella 50 times/s. This vigorous swimming style has prevented stable image observation and made it difficult to track them reliably with our previously developed visual tracking system. Here, we describe how we overcame these problems using image processing techniques to achieve stable tracking of fast, small ascidian spermatozoa for more than 180 s using high-speed visual feedback.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, 113-8656, Japan. Hiromasa_Oku@ipc.i.u-tokyo.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiromasa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oku
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Kogiku
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shiba
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005246:Feedback; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000502:physiology*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D014561:Urochordata / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*