Radial Distance Estimation with Tapered Whisker Sensors.

Rats use their whiskers as tactile sensors to sense their environment. Active whisking, moving whiskers back and forth continuously, is one of prominent features observed in rodents. They can discriminate different textures or extract features of a nearby object such as size, shape and distance through active whisking. There have been studies to localize objects with artificial whiskers inspired by rat whiskers. The linear whisker model based on beam theory has been used to estimate the radial distance, that is, the distance between the base of the whisker and a target object. In this paper, we investigate deflection angle measurements instead of forces or moments, based on a linear tapered whisker model to see the role of tapered whiskers found in real animals. We analyze how accurately this model estimates the radial distance, and quantify the estimation errors and noise sensitivity. We also compare the linear model simulation and nonlinear numerical solutions. It is shown that the radial distance can be estimated using deflection angles at two different positions on the tapered whisker. We argue that the tapered whisker has an advantage of estimating the radial distance better, as compared to an untapered whisker, and active sensing allows that estimation without the whisker's material property and thickness or the moment at base. In addition, we investigate the potential of passive sensing for tactile localization.

Multidimensional characterisation of biomechanical structures by combining Atomic Force Microscopy and Focused Ion Beam: A study of the rat whisker.

Understanding the heterogeneity of biological structures, particularly at the micro/nano scale can offer insights valuable for multidisciplinary research in tissue engineering and biomimicry designs. Here we propose to combine nanocharacterisation tools, particularly Focused Ion Beam (FIB) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) for three dimensional mapping of mechanical modulus and chemical signatures. The prototype platform is applied to image and investigate the fundamental mechanics of the rat face whiskers, a high-acuity sensor used to gain detailed information about the world. Grazing angle FIB milling was first applied to expose the interior cross section of the rat whisker sample, followed by a "lift-out" method to retrieve and position the target sample for further analyses. AFM force spectroscopy measurements revealed a non-uniform pattern of elastic modulus across the cross section, with a range from 0.8GPa to 13.5GPa. The highest elastic modulus was found at the outer cuticle region of the whisker, and values gradually decreased towards the interior cortex and medulla regions. Elemental mapping with EDS confirmed that the interior of the rat whisker is dominated by C, O, N, S, Cl and K, with a significant change of elemental distribution close to the exterior cuticle region. Based on these data, a novel comprehensive three dimensional (3D) elastic modulus model was constructed, and stress distributions under realistic conditions were investigated with Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The simulations could well account for the passive whisker deflections, with calculated resonant frequency as well as force-deflection for the whiskers being in good agreement with reported experimental data. Limitations and further applications are discussed for the proposed FIB/AFM approach, which holds good promise as a unique platform to gain insights on various heterogeneous biomaterials and biomechanical systems.

A truncated conical beam model for analysis of the vibration of rat whiskers.

A truncated conical beam model is developed to study the vibration behaviour of a rat whisker. Translational and rotational springs are introduced to better represent the constraint conditions at the base of the whiskers in a living rat. Dimensional analysis shows that the natural frequency of a truncated conical beam with generic spring constraints at its ends is inversely proportional to the square root of the mass density. Under all the combinations of the classical free, pinned, sliding or fixed boundary conditions of a truncated conical beam, it is proved that the natural frequency can be expressed as f = α(rb/L(2))E/ρ and the frequency coefficient α only depends on the ratio of the radii at the two ends of the beam. The natural frequencies of a representative rat whisker are predicted for two typical situations: freely whisking in air and the tip touching an object. Our numerical results show that there exists a window where the natural frequencies of a rat whisker are very sensitive to the change of the rotational constraint at the base. This finding is also confirmed by the numerical results of 18 whiskers with their data available from literature. It can be concluded that the natural frequencies of a rat whisker can be adjusted within a wide range through manipulating the constraints of the follicle on the rat base by a behaving animal.