| Budget Amount *help |
¥1,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,900,000)
Fiscal Year 1995: ¥400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥400,000)
Fiscal Year 1994: ¥1,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000)
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| Research Abstract |
Although locomotion compensators, invented by Kramer in 1975, have been facilitating researchers in various study of orientation mechanism of walking insects, no such apparatus has been utilized in our country except for one prototype model. In the planning of this project of making a new locomotion compensator, the control system of the apparatus was thoroughly reviewed and updated into a numerical one. A video-tracker chases the image of a moving insect and reports X-, Y-coordinates of the object to a personal computer every 1/60 s, and then the computer, after processing the coordinates, reports the destination position to a motor-control board. The board drives a pair of digitally controlled AC servo-motors according to the numerical data, and a wheel on the axis of each motor drives a plastic sphere. The sphere, supported by the wheels and a universal bearing, is rotated so as that every positional replacement of the insect on the sphere is negatively fed back. This plan was realized with modern digital equipments as a reporting video tracker, a personal computer with a high performance CPU,an intelligent motor control board and full digitally controlled AC servo-motors. As a result of organized instrumentation, a unique mechanical design and an optimized driving software, a high performance instrument with smooth and quick response was accomplished. A data analysis software was programd in a GUI oriented language for the convenience of practical use. By perfecting the software and an air flow system including sample applicators, the screening system of behavior modifying chemicals for walking insects was established.
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