Towards a Lateral Line Sensor to Supplement Sonar in Shallow Water

Author(s):  
Tim Ziemer

Sonar provides vessels with a sensory system to detect and identify still and moving obstacles. In shallow water both active and passive sonar meet their limits. Acoustical methods exist, aiming at supporting sonar systems by means of digital signal processing, or, coming from the field of biomimetics, imitating echolocation principles of marine animals. This paper introduces a sensor system combining these approaches by the use of a vector sensor array applying Near-field Acoustical Holography (NAH) imitating the Lateral Line organ (LL) of fish; a passive method to supplement active and passive sonar. LL is able to localize obstacles due to their dipole-like water displacement by comparing low-frequency water accelerations distributed along the whole body. In contrast to pressure, accelerations are highly evanescent and do not propagate into the far-field. Thus LL does not suffer under reverberation or scattering. The performance of the proposed NAH-based LL-sensor is tested by a computer simulation of a source in absence and in presence of a disturbing source. The LL-sensor has proven to be more robust than pressure detection methods like beamforming and conventional NAH.

IEEE Access ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 28413-28420
Author(s):  
Hojun Lee ◽  
Jongmin Ahn ◽  
Yongcheol Kim ◽  
Jaehak Chung

Zoomorphology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Ahnelt ◽  
David Ramler ◽  
Maria Ø. Madsen ◽  
Lasse F. Jensen ◽  
Sonja Windhager

AbstractThe mechanosensory lateral line of fishes is a flow sensing system and supports a number of behaviors, e.g. prey detection, schooling or position holding in water currents. Differences in the neuromast pattern of this sensory system reflect adaptation to divergent ecological constraints. The threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, is known for its ecological plasticity resulting in three major ecotypes, a marine type, a migrating anadromous type and a resident freshwater type. We provide the first comparative study of the pattern of the head lateral line system of North Sea populations representing these three ecotypes including a brackish spawning population. We found no distinct difference in the pattern of the head lateral line system between the three ecotypes but significant differences in neuromast numbers. The anadromous and the brackish populations had distinctly less neuromasts than their freshwater and marine conspecifics. This difference in neuromast number between marine and anadromous threespine stickleback points to differences in swimming behavior. We also found sexual dimorphism in neuromast number with males having more neuromasts than females in the anadromous, brackish and the freshwater populations. But no such dimorphism occurred in the marine population. Our results suggest that the head lateral line of the three ecotypes is under divergent hydrodynamic constraints. Additionally, sexual dimorphism points to divergent niche partitioning of males and females in the anadromous and freshwater but not in the marine populations. Our findings imply careful sampling as an important prerequisite to discern especially between anadromous and marine threespine sticklebacks.


1980 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-77
Author(s):  
ALFONS B. A. KROESE ◽  
JOHAN M. VAN DER ZALM ◽  
JOEP VAN DEN BERCKEN

1. The response of the epidermal lateral-line organ of Xenopus laevis to stimulation was studied by recording extracellular receptor potentials from the hair cells in single neuromasts in isolated preparations. One neuromast was stimulated by local, sinusoidal water movements induced by a glass sphere positioned at a short distance from the neuromast. 2. The amplitudes of the extracellular receptor potentials were proportional to the stimulus amplitude over a range of 20 dB. The phase of the extracellular receptor potentials with respect to water displacement was independent of the stimulus amplitude. 3. With large stimulus amplitude, and stimulus frequencies between 0.5 Hz and 2 Hz, the extracellular receptor potentials, and responses of single afferent nerve fibres, showed a phase lead of 1.2 π radians with respect to water displacement, i.e. they were almost in phase with water acceleration. 4. It is concluded that under conditions of stimulation with small-amplitude water movements, the hair cells respond to sensory hair displacement, whereas under conditions of stimulation with large-amplitude water movements they respond to sensory hair velocity.


1997 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 448-457
Author(s):  
G. V. T. Matthews

This paper was first published in the Journal in 1969 (Vol. 22, p. 118). It is followed by comments from John Kemp.The last twenty-one years have seen some very striking advances in our knowledge of how animals can determine their location. In many cases we have learned that they have available a wider range of stimuli than ourselves for recognizing landmarks and for pilotage within their home area. Thus the associated senses of smell and taste are extraordinarily well developed in some species. The ability of the males of certain moths to detect the scent emitted by females at very considerable distances had long been known. More recently the extreme sensitivity, and selectivity, of fish to waterborne odours has led to an understanding of how they locate their home waters. As but one example, eels have shown reactions to concentrations of chemicals as low as 3 × 10−18, equivalent to but two or three molecules within the fish's olfactory sac. In other cases animals have developed sensitivities of which we have little or no conception. Ecolocation is employed by certain birds, by many marine animals and reaches a peak of efficiency in the case of bats. Not only do the latter detect sounds of much higher frequency than ourselves, they also respond to echoes of sounds they emitted but 0·001 seconds earlier. We have little appreciation of the sensations produced by the pressure-receptors in the lateral-line organs of fish.


Development ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
pp. 241-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.T. Whitfield ◽  
M. Granato ◽  
F.J. van Eeden ◽  
U. Schach ◽  
M. Brand ◽  
...  

Mutations giving rise to anatomical defects in the inner ear have been isolated in a large scale screen for mutations causing visible abnormalities in the zebrafish embryo (Haffter, P., Granato, M., Brand, M. et al. (1996) Development 123, 1–36). 58 mutants have been classified as having a primary ear phenotype; these fall into several phenotypic classes, affecting presence or size of the otoliths, size and shape of the otic vesicle and formation of the semicircular canals, and define at least 20 complementation groups. Mutations in seven genes cause loss of one or both otoliths, but do not appear to affect development of other structures within the ear. Mutations in seven genes affect morphology and patterning of the inner ear epithelium, including formation of the semicircular canals and, in some, development of sensory patches (maculae and cristae). Within this class, dog-eared mutants show abnormal development of semicircular canals and lack cristae within the ear, while in van gogh, semicircular canals fail to form altogether, resulting in a tiny otic vesicle containing a single sensory patch. Both these mutants show defects in the expression of homeobox genes within the otic vesicle. In a further class of mutants, ear size is affected while patterning appears to be relatively normal; mutations in three genes cause expansion of the otic vesicle, while in little ears and microtic, the ear is abnormally small, but still contains all five sensory patches, as in the wild type. Many of the ear and otolith mutants show an expected behavioural phenotype: embryos fail to balance correctly, and may swim on their sides, upside down, or in circles. Several mutants with similar balance defects have also been isolated that have no obvious structural ear defect, but that may include mutants with vestibular dysfunction of the inner ear (Granato, M., van Eeden, F. J. M., Schach, U. et al. (1996) Development, 123, 399–413,). Mutations in 19 genes causing primary defects in other structures also show an ear defect. In particular, ear phenotypes are often found in conjunction with defects of neural crest derivatives (pigment cells and/or cartilaginous elements of the jaw). At least one mutant, dog-eared, shows defects in both the ear and another placodally derived sensory system, the lateral line, while hypersensitive mutants have additional trunk lateral line organs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 103-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Nelson ◽  
Kamran Mohseni

AbstractThis paper presents a sensory system that is biologically inspired by the lateral line sensory system found in fish. This artificial lateral line system provides sensory information to be used in vehicle control algorithms, both to reduce model complexity and to measure hydrodynamic disturbances. The system presented in this paper is a modular implementation that can fit around a vehicle without requiring modifications to the hull. The design and manufacturing processes are presented in detail along with considerations for sensor placement and port spacing. An algorithm for calculating the hydrodynamic forces acting on the surface of a vehicle is derived and experimentally validated. An underwater motion capture system and strain sensors are used to calculate a reference hydrodynamic force that compares favorably with the hydrodynamic force calculated by the lateral line system.


2001 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaotong Wang ◽  
Chih-Chen Chang ◽  
Lichu Fan

The recent advances in detecting and locating damage in bridges by different kinds of non-destructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) methods are reviewed. From the application point of view, classifications for general bridge components and their damage types are presented. The relationships between damage, bridge components, and NDT&E techniques are summarized. Many useful WEB sources of NDT&E techniques in bridge damage detection are given. It is concluded that: (1) vibration-based damage detection methods are successful to a certain extent, especially when the overall damage is significant and, low frequency vibration can identify those areas where more detailed local inspection should be concentrated; (2) robust identification techniques that are able to locate damage based on realistic measured data sets still seem a long way from reality, and, basic research is still necessary in the mean time; (3) the rapid development of computer technology and digital signal processing (DSP) techniques greatly impacts upon the conventional NDT techniques, especially in control data processing and data displaying, as well as in simulation and modeling; (4) most of the NDT&E techniques introduced in this paper have their own practical commercial systems, but the effort required for combining the theoretical, experimental and engineering achievements, is still a challenging task when establishing the relationship between the unknown quantities and the measured signal parameters and specialised instruments have shown great advantages for doing some things more effectively than general ones; (5) in bridge damage detection, a problem usually requires the application of different NDT&E techniques; two or more independent techniques are needed to enable confidence in the results.


2000 ◽  
Vol 355 (1401) ◽  
pp. 1115-1119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher B. Braun ◽  
Sheryl Coombs

The problems associated with the detection of sounds and other mechanical disturbances in the aquatic environment differ greatly from those associated with airborne sounds. The differences are primarily due to the incompressibility of water and the corresponding increase in importance of the acoustic near field. The near field, or hydrodynamic field, is characterized by steep spatial gradients in pressure, and detection of the accelerations associated with these gradients is performed by both the inner ear and the lateral line systems of fishes. Acceleration–sensitive otolithic organs are present in all fishes and provide these animals with a form of inertial audition. The detection of pressure gradients, by both the lateral line and inner ear, is the taxonomically most widespread mechanism of sound–source detection amongst vertebrates, and is thus the most likely primitive mode of detecting sound sources. Surprisingly, little is known about the capabilities of either the lateral line or the otolithic endorgan in the detection of vibratory dipole sources. Theoretical considerations for the overlapping roles of the inner ear and lateral line systems in midwater predict that the lateral line will operate over a shorter distance range than the inner ear, although with a much greater spatial resolution. Our empirical results of dipole detection by mottled sculpin, a benthic fish, do not agree with theoretical predictions based on midwater fishes, in that the distance ranges of the two systems appear to be approximately equal. This is almost certainly as a result of physical coupling between the fishes and the substrate. Thus, rather than having a greater active range, the inner ear appears to have a reduced distance range in benthic fishes, and the lateral line distance range may be concomitantly extended.


BMC Biology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Ramon-Mateu ◽  
S. Tori Ellison ◽  
Thomas E. Angelini ◽  
Mark Q. Martindale

Abstract Background The ability to regenerate is a widely distributed but highly variable trait among metazoans. A variety of modes of regeneration has been described for different organisms; however, many questions regarding the origin and evolution of these strategies remain unanswered. Most species of ctenophore (or “comb jellies”), a clade of marine animals that branch off at the base of the animal tree of life, possess an outstanding capacity to regenerate. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this ability are unknown. We have used the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi as a system to study wound healing and adult regeneration and provide some first-time insights of the cellular mechanisms involved in the regeneration of one of the most ancient extant group of multicellular animals. Results We show that cell proliferation is activated at the wound site and is indispensable for whole-body regeneration. Wound healing occurs normally in the absence of cell proliferation forming a scar-less wound epithelium. No blastema-like structure is generated at the cut site, and pulse-chase experiments and surgical intervention show that cells originating in the main regions of cell proliferation (the tentacle bulbs) do not seem to contribute to the formation of new structures after surgical challenge, suggesting a local source of cells during regeneration. While exposure to cell-proliferation blocking treatment inhibits regeneration, the ability to regenerate is recovered when the treatment ends (days after the original cut), suggesting that ctenophore regenerative capabilities are constantly ready to be triggered and they are somehow separable of the wound healing process. Conclusions Ctenophore regeneration takes place through a process of cell proliferation-dependent non-blastemal-like regeneration and is temporally separable of the wound healing process. We propose that undifferentiated cells assume the correct location of missing structures and differentiate in place. The remarkable ability to replace missing tissue, the many favorable experimental features (e.g., optical clarity, high fecundity, rapid regenerative performance, stereotyped cell lineage, sequenced genome), and the early branching phylogenetic position in the animal tree, all point to the emergence of ctenophores as a new model system to study the evolution of animal regeneration.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 780-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale O Edwick ◽  
Dana A Hince ◽  
Jeremy M Rawlins ◽  
Fiona M Wood ◽  
Dale W Edgar

Abstract The assessment of swelling following burn injury is complicated by the presence of wounds and dressings and due to patients experiencing significant pain and impaired movement. There remains a lack of sensitive objective measures for edema in patients presenting with hand burn injury. Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) is a measure of body composition that has been demonstrated by our group to be reliable for measuring whole body and limb edema during resuscitation and to be sensitive to edema changes within healing wounds. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of BIS as a measure of edema following hand burn injury specifically. One hundred patients presenting with burn injury including a portion of a hand were recruited to this trial. Repeated measures of the hand were recorded using a novel application of BIS and in parallel with water displacement volumetry (WDV). The results were analyzed using mixed-effects regressions. Paired repeated measures were obtained for 195 hands, using four electrode configurations. BIS demonstrated high reliability in measuring hand BIS—Intraclass Correlation Coefficient 0.995 to 0.999 (95% CI 0.992–1.000) and sensitivity—Minimum Detectable Difference 0.74 to 3.86 Ω (0.09–0.48 Ω/cm). A strong correlation was shown with WDV, Pearson’s r = −0.831 to −0.798 (P < .001). BIS is a sensitive and reliable measure of edema following acute hand burn injury.


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