Leaphy Robot

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Leaphy robot with subsumption architecture
Leaphy back side view.jpg
Participants
Skills software hardware electronics biology
Status Active
Niche robotics
Purpose Fun
Tool No
Location Space, home
Cost Very small given what is already present and what is available in the space (everything!!)
Tool category Electronics

Leaphy robot with subsumption architecture

Leaphy back side view.jpg {{#if:No | [[Tool Owner::{{{ProjectParticipants}}} | }} {{#if:No | [[Tool Cost::Very small given what is already present and what is available in the space (everything!!) | }}

Electronic insect-like creature

Physiological, Behavioural & environmental overview
peterr 2022- 2025

Document history

  • September 2025 subsumption architecture design
  • August 2025 Documentation for scheduler
  • March 2023 Draft version 0.2 - terminology cleanup and scope
  • Februari 2023 Draft version 0.1
  • December 2022 Partial documentation/brainstorming
  • November 2022 First document sketches & ideas

Project

The insect like creature (based on the leaphy robot) has a set of functionalities that together allow it to effectively find, and feed on targets that provides electricity as a reward. Learning strategies to improve succes rate can be implemented. Sexual signaling, event prediction, mating behaviour, genetic exchange and evolution are in principle possible but are currently still (far) out of scope.

Sensory inputs

Mechanoreceptor - sensing of obstacles
Micro switch based tactile hairs.
Development status: Not yet implemented
Ultrasound - Distance sensing of obstacles
Ultrasonic pulses detect obstacles and can trigger reflex avoidance behaviour
Development status: Operational
Better directional responses would be possible with more than one US sensor.
This would need a dedicated embedded processor.
Development status: Not yet implemented
Sensing light intensity
Two LDR photoreceptors measure front-left light level and front-right light level
Total ambient light intensity is available as an analog voltage
The difference between the inputs is also available, and signals what side to turn to, to approach or avoid the light.
Development status: Operational
Sensing sound (audio)
A subunit with its own processor containing an Electret microphone to measure ambiant sound level, frequency and sound patterns.
Can also be used in classical and operant leaning experiments Detect both absolute sound level (for startle or avoidance resposes) or feature
detectors (e.g. chirp intervals for leafhopper like communcication and courting behaviour of two leaphy's.
In addition, an Audeme Movi speech recognition shield (see https://www.audeme.com/movi.html) could be used to process voice commands
Development status: Not yet implemented, but Movi shield "proof of concept" done
PIR movement sensor
In addition to light intensity, an infra red motion sensors can be used to detect movements (humans, or the cat for that matter) see for instance https://www.adafruit.com/product/4871
'Development status: Not yet implemented
Sensing wind direction
Semiconductor based tactile hairs? Something like https://www.instructables.com/Low-Cost-Low-Speed-Wind-Sensor-1/ with shielding? or sensitive temperature measurements?
Note: Wind direction sensing in the windtunnel is currently replaced by sensing light gradients parallel to the wind direction because the wind sensor is not available yet.
Development status: To be designed, high priority for the windtunnel version with odour processing as a main goal, low for the a free walking space/nurdspace version described here.
Volatiles (odours)
Semiconductor based perception of volatiles like alcohol (fruit-fly like behaviours), Carbon dioxide (mosquito like behaviour), or VOC's (most plant eating insects). The sensor produces a voltage level proportional to the intensity of the stimulus. Using a threshold can generate a presense/absense signal.
The interval between odour pulses is a proxy for the distance to the source. Note that an odour "gradient" does not exist!
Current implementation uses a SGP30 board. The time constant of the the sensor is in the order of 1 second, but "whiffs" of odour could be detected faster by using a feature detector that looks for sudden steps in the signal. This will also act as an sensory adaptation mechanism: in the absence of change the output go's to zero.
Development status: Sensor: operational, feature detector: testing phase
Sensing ground color

This sensor measures ground colour and the output can be used to test for a particular condition (e.g. being at a target position). It can also be used to simulate trail pheromones implemented as colors next to the trail followed. This sense can also take the role of short distance " present at target" stimuli.

Development status: Operational
Sensing ground reflectance level
Two sensors 'line followers' that both provide a binary present/absent signal of ground reflection.
Can be used to simulate trail following behaviour on network of lines (combined with led ground colours, see "sensing ground colour" above).
Development status: testing phase
Sensing rewards and deterrents
Electronic organisms live on electricity, and are rewarded by sensing the presence of a voltage and current. This sensory organ is just sensing the analog voltage measured by the sensory organ. It simulates the perception of food such as nectar. Most logical position is at the tip of an appendage.

Development status: mechanical movement to make electrical contact: testing phase

Future extensions: A combination of voltage levels and pulse frequency coding in the source could be used to simulate a spectrum of "chemical" inputs  ::: Feature detectors could extract particular frequencies and/or patterns to recognise for instance "toxic" substances.


- Proprioreception Checking for instance for movement when motors move, or for force feedback when extending proboscis or ovipostior Development status:To be developed, as yet low priority

- Sensing internal states Modulation of behaviour and adapting thresholds or intensity depending on previous experiences and physiological status. Development status: To be developed

- Sensing satiation To place electric reward info in perspective some internal status information is needed, that is supplied by reading internal variables like energy levels (battery voltage , load current) or physiological state (internal variabels for "ready to oviposit", "ready to feed" ). More advances implementations could sense brain hormone levels and excitation states (see below under internal states and hormones"). Development status: Not yet implemented

- Sensing hormone levels Certain activities or combinations of activities can stimulate the produce the hormones. This could be implemented as slow changing values in memory. Hormone levels might modulate the effect of sensory input or behavioural output and act as a form of memory.

More soon, this page is work in progress