Adaptive Echolocation and Flight Behaviors in Bats Can Inspire Technology Innovations for Sonar Tracking and Interception

Adaptive Flight and Echolocation Behavior in Bats

Title of dissertation: ADAPTIVE FLIGHT AND ECHOLOCATION BEHAVIOR IN BATS Benjamin Mather Falk, Doctor of Philosophy, 2015 Dissertation directed by: Professor Cynthia F. Moss Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Bats use sonar to identify and localize objects as they fly and navigate in the dark. They actively adjust the timing, intensity, and frequency content of their sonar signals in...

Echolocation in Dolphins and Bats

Tight coordination of aerial flight maneuvers and sonar call production in insectivorous bats.

Echolocating bats face the challenge of coordinating flight kinematics with the production of echolocation signals used to guide navigation. Previous studies of bat flight have focused on kinematics of fruit and nectar-feeding bats, often in wind tunnels with limited maneuvering, and without analysis of echolocation behavior. In this study, we engaged insectivorous big brown bats in a task requ...

Timing matters: sonar call groups facilitate target localization in bats

To successfully negotiate a cluttered environment, an echolocating bat must control the timing of motor behaviors in response to dynamic sensory information. Here we detail the big brown bat's adaptive temporal control over sonar call production for tracking prey, moving predictably or unpredictably, under different experimental conditions. We studied the adaptive control of vocal-motor behavio...

Environmentally Adaptive Sonar Technology

Our technical approach is aimed at two basic problems with undersea warfare: (1) knowing the environment, and (2) adapting the sensor to the environment to maximize sensor performance. A consequence of (1) in this approach is that the knowledge of the environment, along with accurate sensor performance models, provides more accurate feedback to an operator about current sensor performance, a re...