Newly developed artificial brain cells allow robots to navigate without sensors

By Kelly Hodgkins October 28, 2015

Brain — Image used with permission by copyright holder

One of the most intriguing abilities that we humans possess is our innate ability to navigate using a mental map of our surroundings. This uncanny talent is the result of two neurons –place and grid cells– that work together to recall a location and provide information about that location’s position in space. Inspired by human anatomy, researchers at Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have developed a simulated version these cells for use in robots, reports MIT’s Technology Review.

Using software, the team developed a simulation that mimicked the functionality of these place and grid cells. As their name implies, place cells recognize places in a person’s environment. They were fist discovered by John O’Keefe in the early 1970s, who found that a specific set of cells in the hippocampus fired whenever a mouse encountered the same spot in a given area. Grid cells work alongside these place cells to provide location information, but they are much different. Located in the entorhinal cortex, these cells fire in a grid and are used to provide spatial information about a person’s location in space.

This software system developed by the Singapore team provided the robot with an ability to navigate around a 35-square-meter office space using only the recall ability of artificial place cells and the 3D positioning information of the simulated grid cells. The team let a robot loose in their office space and confirmed that the software-based solution does indeed work in a manner similar to the biological version.

Researchers hope this research could lead to improvements in the navigation system of robots, especially autonomous ones that must adapt to changes in their environments with minimal human interaction. “Artificial grid cells could provide an adaptive and robust mapping and navigation system,”said Haizhou Li, lead author and professor at A*STAR. They also hope this breakthrough will assist researchers studying the human brain. It could potentially be used as a simulator to test predicted neural response before conducting the experiment on rats.

Topics

Contributor

Kelly's been writing online for ten years, working at Gizmodo, TUAW, and BGR among others. Living near the White Mountains of…

Mobile

4 simple pieces of tech that helped me run my first marathon

Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar displaying pace information.

The fitness world is littered with opportunities to buy tech aimed at enhancing your physical performance. No matter your sport of choice or personal goals, there's a deep rabbit hole you can go down. It'll cost plenty of money, but the gains can be marginal -- and can honestly just be a distraction from what you should actually be focused on. Running is certainly susceptible to this.

A few months ago, I ran my first-ever marathon. It was an incredible accomplishment I had no idea I'd ever be able to reach, and it's now going to be the first of many I run in my lifetime. And despite my deep-rooted history in tech, and the endless opportunities for being baited into gearing myself up with every last product to help me get through the marathon, I went with a rather simple approach.

Emerging Tech

This bracelet helps you fall asleep faster and sleep longer

woman-in-bed-wearing-twilight-apollo-on-ankle

This content was produced in partnership with Apollo Neuroscience.
Have you been struggling to get the recommended seven hours of sleep? It's always frustrating when you get in bed at a reasonable time, then toss and turn for a hours before you actually sleep. The quality of that sleep is important too. If you're waking up multiple times during the night, you're likely not getting the quality REM cycle sleep that truly rejuvenates your body. If traditional remedies like herbal teas and noise machines just aren't helping, maybe it's time to try a modern solution. Enter the Apollo wearable.

Now we understand being a little skeptical. How can a bracelet on your wrist or ankle affect your sleep patterns? Certainly the answer to a better night's sleep can't be so simple. We considered these same things when we first heard of it. We'll dive deeper into the science behind the Apollo wearable, but suffice it to say that many people have experienced deeper, uninterrupted sleep while wearing one.
A non-conventional approach to better sleep

Deals

The 11 best Father’s Day deals that you can get for Sunday

Data from a workout showing on the screen of the Apple Watch Series 8.

Father's Day is fast approaching and there's still time to buy your beloved Dad a sweet new device to show him how much you love him. That's why we've rounded up the ten best Father's Day tech deals going on right now. There's something for most budgets here, including if you're able to spend a lot on your loved one. Read on while we take you through the highlights and remember to order fast so you don't miss out on the big day.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 -- $200, was $230

While it's the Plus version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 that features in our look at the best tablets, the standard variety is still worth checking out. Saving your Dad the need to dig out their laptop or squint at a small phone screen, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 offers a large 10.5-inch LCD display and all the useful features you would expect. 128GB of storage means plenty of room for all your Dad's favorite apps as well as games too. A long-lasting battery and fast charging save him the need for a power source too often too.