Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101513
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,000.00
Summary
Ant-inspired rules for self-assembly in swarm robotics and complex systems. This project aims to investigate how ants use self-assembly to build bridges and chains, joining their bodies using simple rules at the individual-level to build complex structures at the group-level. The long-standing conceptual gap between these two organisational levels will be addressed using innovative animal behaviour experiments, computer modelling and embodied testing of theory in a robot swarm. The expected outc ....Ant-inspired rules for self-assembly in swarm robotics and complex systems. This project aims to investigate how ants use self-assembly to build bridges and chains, joining their bodies using simple rules at the individual-level to build complex structures at the group-level. The long-standing conceptual gap between these two organisational levels will be addressed using innovative animal behaviour experiments, computer modelling and embodied testing of theory in a robot swarm. The expected outcomes of the project include new models for understanding self-assembly in complex systems and new control algorithms for robot swarms. The project should provide significant benefits such as programming to allow robot swarms to autonomously self-assemble useful structures that enhance their operational capabilities.Read moreRead less
Understanding How the Hungry Brain Regulates Metabolism. Energy homeostasis is essential for life as it ensures an adequate supply of fuel to cells of the body. This process is orchestrated by neurons in the hypothalamus of the brain. This project aims to determine the role of the extracellular matrix that surrounds hypothalamic neurons and how this regulates energy homeostasis, an area of science that is completely unexplored. This project expects to identify the composition the extracellular m ....Understanding How the Hungry Brain Regulates Metabolism. Energy homeostasis is essential for life as it ensures an adequate supply of fuel to cells of the body. This process is orchestrated by neurons in the hypothalamus of the brain. This project aims to determine the role of the extracellular matrix that surrounds hypothalamic neurons and how this regulates energy homeostasis, an area of science that is completely unexplored. This project expects to identify the composition the extracellular matrix within the hypothalamus and discover how it regulates energy homeostasis. The outcomes of this project are to provide new knowledge in understanding how the brain regulates metabolism, to promote population health & wellbeing, develop new technologies and training the next generation of researchers.Read moreRead less
Closing the loop between salience and brain activity. This project aims to understand how animals exposed to an abundance of highly complex information decide what to attend to, that is, how they determine visual saliency. The project will approach this question by systematically tracking visual decision-making in the smallest animal brains, in closed-loop virtual reality environment. This approach will uncover basic working principles applicable to any system that needs to pay attention in a vi ....Closing the loop between salience and brain activity. This project aims to understand how animals exposed to an abundance of highly complex information decide what to attend to, that is, how they determine visual saliency. The project will approach this question by systematically tracking visual decision-making in the smallest animal brains, in closed-loop virtual reality environment. This approach will uncover basic working principles applicable to any system that needs to pay attention in a visually cluttered world, from insects to humans or autonomous vehicles.Read moreRead less
Neural mechanisms of water flow perception and spatial integration. This project aims to develop a novel zebrafish platform for elucidating the circuits that mediate lateral line perception. The sensory modality by which fish detect and respond to water flow is poorly understood. This project proposes a novel preparation in the zebrafish model for applying controlled water flow using microfluidics, thereby stimulating the lateral line. Because the animal remains stationary, it is possible to per ....Neural mechanisms of water flow perception and spatial integration. This project aims to develop a novel zebrafish platform for elucidating the circuits that mediate lateral line perception. The sensory modality by which fish detect and respond to water flow is poorly understood. This project proposes a novel preparation in the zebrafish model for applying controlled water flow using microfluidics, thereby stimulating the lateral line. Because the animal remains stationary, it is possible to perform whole-brain calcium imaging of cells and circuits that respond to water flow, and to use optogenetics to stimulate or silence these neurons. This will reveal the circuitry mediating flow perception, and its relationship with other senses, in a way that has been previously impossible.Read moreRead less