The project Learning Binaurally - Directed Movement is a multi-disciplinary, multi-university consortium of investigators from the University of Maryland at College Park (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Institute for Systems Research, Department of Zoology, and the Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science), and the University of Oregon (Department of Biology and Institute for Neuroscience).

The goal of this research project is to investigate time coding in the central nervous system - specifically, the auditory system of the barn owl, - the early development of such codes, the learning of associated maps, and the exploitation of such sound codes and maps in source localization and sound separation. The research consists of electrophysiological and anatomical study along with mathematical modeling of neural circuitry; the rigorous investigation of the structure and performance of relevant learning algorithms; and, the creation of an experimental robotic testbed. This testbed - a binaural head - is intended to be capable of orienting itself to sound sources in complex acoustic environments through pure auditory servoing.

Understanding the barn owl auditory system and developing control architectures capable of learning maps of auditory space will provide insight into the design of new roles for auditory sensing, interpretation, and discrimination in autonomous robotic systems. The research could lead to applications in hands-free human-machine communications in acoustically cluttered environments, and in monitoring complex environments such as highly automated manufacturing plants. For more about the LIS project, Continue

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