Finger Readjustment Algorithm for Object Manipulation Based on Tactile Information

Parrots are exceptional among birds for their high levels of exploratory behaviour and manipulatory abilities. It has been argued that foraging method is the prime determinant of a bird's visual field configuration. However, here we argue that the topography of visual fields in parrots is related to their playful dexterity, unique anatomy and particularly the tactile information that is gained through their bill tip organ during object manipulation. We measured the visual fields of Senegal parrots Poicephalus senegalus using the ophthalmoscopic reflex technique and also report some preliminary observations on the bill tip organ in this species. We found that the visual fields of Senegal parrots are unlike those described hitherto in any other bird species, with both a relatively broad frontal binocular field and a near comprehensive field of view around the head. The behavioural implications are discussed and we consider how extractive foraging and object exploration, mediated in part by tactile cues from the bill, has led to the absence of visual coverage of the region below the bill in favour of more comprehensive visual coverage above the head.

Download Full-text

Fast and accurate edge orientation processing during object manipulation

10.1101/163790 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. Andrew Pruszynski ◽

J. Randall Flanagan ◽

Roland S. Johansson

Keyword(s):

Object Manipulation ◽

Spatial Processing ◽

Processing Capacity ◽

Critical Aspect ◽

Dexterous Manipulation ◽

Tactile Information ◽

Edge Orientation ◽

Manipulation Task ◽

Tactile System ◽

Better Than

AbstractQuickly and accurately extracting information about a touched object’s orientation is a critical aspect of dexterous object manipulation. However, the speed and acuity of tactile edge orientation processing with respect to the fingertips as reported in previous perceptual studies appear inadequate in these respects. Here we directly establish the tactile system’s capacity to process edge-orientation information during dexterous manipulation. Participants extracted tactile information about edge orientation very quickly, using it within 200 ms of first touching the object. Participants were also strikingly accurate. With edges spanning the entire fingertip, edge-orientation resolution was better than 3° in our object manipulation task, which is several times better than reported in previous perceptual studies. Performance remained impressive even with edges as short as 2 mm, consistent with our ability to precisely manipulate very small objects. Taken together, our results radically redefine the spatial processing capacity of the tactile system.

Download Full-text

Unknown object manipulation based on tactile information

2015 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) ◽

10.1109/iros.2015.7354178 ◽

2015 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Andres Montano ◽

Raul Suarez

Keyword(s):

Object Manipulation ◽

Tactile Information ◽

Unknown Object

Download Full-text

Fast and accurate edge orientation processing during object manipulation

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.31200 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

J Andrew Pruszynski ◽

J Randall Flanagan ◽

Roland S Johansson

Keyword(s):

Object Manipulation ◽

Spatial Processing ◽

Processing Capacity ◽

Critical Aspect ◽

Dexterous Manipulation ◽

Tactile Information ◽

Edge Orientation ◽

Manipulation Task ◽

Tactile System ◽

Better Than

Quickly and accurately extracting information about a touched object’s orientation is a critical aspect of dexterous object manipulation. However, the speed and acuity of tactile edge orientation processing with respect to the fingertips as reported in previous perceptual studies appear inadequate in these respects. Here we directly establish the tactile system’s capacity to process edge-orientation information during dexterous manipulation. Participants extracted tactile information about edge orientation very quickly, using it within 200 ms of first touching the object. Participants were also strikingly accurate. With edges spanning the entire fingertip, edge-orientation resolution was better than 3° in our object manipulation task, which is several times better than reported in previous perceptual studies. Performance remained impressive even with edges as short as 2 mm, consistent with our ability to precisely manipulate very small objects. Taken together, our results radically redefine the spatial processing capacity of the tactile system.

Download Full-text