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Sensory acquisition in active sensing systems

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Abstract

A defining feature of active sensing is the use of self-generated energy to probe the environment. Familiar biological examples include echolocation in bats and dolphins and active electrolocation in weakly electric fish. Organisms that utilize active sensing systems can potentially exert control over the characteristics of the probe energy, such as its intensity, direction, timing, and spectral characteristics. This is in contrast to passive sensing systems, which rely on extrinsic energy sources that are not directly controllable by the organism. The ability to control the probe energy adds a new dimension to the task of acquiring relevant information about the environment. Physical and ecological constraints confronted by active sensing systems include issues of signal propagation, attenuation, speed, energetics, and conspicuousness. These constraints influence the type of energy that organisms use to probe the environment, the amount of energy devoted to the process, and the way in which the nervous system integrates sensory and motor functions for optimizing sensory acquisition performance.

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Abbreviations

JAR:

Jamming avoidance response

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to M.E.N. (R01 MH49242); M.A.M. was supported in part by a grant from the Whitaker Foundation to Northwestern University. We thank Dr. Rüdiger Krahe for stimulating discussions and helpful feedback.

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  1. Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    M. E. Nelson

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208-3111, USA

    M. A. MacIver

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Nelson, M., MacIver, M. Sensory acquisition in active sensing systems. J Comp Physiol A 192, 573–586 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-006-0099-4

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