The broad goal of this project is to understand the processes that support perception and action in complex settings. The research focuses on spatial perception and navigation in the echolocating bat, an auditory specialist that produces high frequency sonar calls and listens to echo returns to determine the location of objects in its environment. The echolocating bat modifies its sonar calls in response to echo information from targets (insect prey) and obstacles, and quantitative analyses of this animal?s adaptive vocal behavior will be used to infer its perception of a changing environment. The biological component of this research combines behavioral and neurophysiological experiments to gain insight to how sensory information from complex scenes is coded and used to guide behaviors. Analysis of behavioral and neural data will be coordinated with modeling efforts and the development of a robotic spatial navigation system. Together, the biological and engineering arms of this research project will generate new knowledge that contributes to a deeper understanding of perception and action in complex, natural environments. Students and postdocs working on this project will learn to translate knowledge and methodologies across biology and engineering, ranging from ethology and neurobiology to computational modeling and robotic demonstrations. These individuals will be poised to make major contributions that impact both basic science and future technology, enabling breakthroughs that cannot be achieved through work solely within traditional disciplines. This research project will contribute to a rich library of multimedia materials that will be made available to educators and scientists working in both the private and public sectors: www.bsos.umd.edu/psyc/batlab/movies.html. Collectively, this research has wide-ranging impact for neurobiology, interdisciplinary research training, neuroscience techniques, robotics, and the design of assistive devices.
