????北卡羅來納州立大學(xué)（North Carolina State University）的科學(xué)家正在使用微軟（Microsoft）的Kinect攝像頭，不過并不是用它來玩視頻游戲，而是另有其他用途。昆蟲似乎能夠承受任何災(zāi)難，或許很快就將成為現(xiàn)場急救人員的得力助手，幫助他們在災(zāi)后廢墟中展開搜救。由于昆蟲小巧的體形，它們可以穿過搜救犬或搜救人員無法進(jìn)入的角落縫隙。研究人員一直在使用Xbox 360和電腦上使用的攝像頭技術(shù)Kinect，來研發(fā)一款遠(yuǎn)程控制裝置，使人們可以像遙控汽車一樣控制昆蟲。配備微型攝像頭的蟑螂，可以在搜救犬和搜救人員抵達(dá)之前，被派往災(zāi)難現(xiàn)場，幫助急救人員及時(shí)獲得現(xiàn)場情況的第一手資料。

????阿爾珀?博茲庫爾特博士是北卡羅來納州立大學(xué)電氣與計(jì)算機(jī)工程學(xué)副教授，曾參與發(fā)表了一篇與仿生機(jī)器人有關(guān)的論文。他表示：“多年以來，機(jī)器人專家們在設(shè)計(jì)厘米量級機(jī)器人時(shí)，一直在嘗試模仿昆蟲。而我們提出了一種新的理念，即與昆蟲合作而不是模仿它們，類似于我們在摩托車和汽車占領(lǐng)大街之前騎馬一樣。蟑螂是最為常見的昆蟲，也是非常強(qiáng)壯的爬行昆蟲?！?/p>

????控制蟑螂的連接裝置通過線纜連接到蟑螂的觸須和尾須。尾須是蟑螂腹部的感覺器官，正常情況下被用于探測空氣中的運(yùn)動(dòng)，示意蟑螂有捕食者靠近，幫助它提前逃脫。而研究人員利用連接到尾須的線纜，刺激昆蟲移動(dòng)。連接到觸須的線纜會發(fā)送少量電荷，使蟑螂誤以為接觸到障礙物，引導(dǎo)它向相反的方向移動(dòng)。

????博茲庫爾特的團(tuán)隊(duì)希望建立一個(gè)自動(dòng)化測試平臺，客觀評價(jià)能否將昆蟲轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)槔ハx生物機(jī)器人。其中一項(xiàng)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)是在黑暗中進(jìn)行實(shí)驗(yàn)，因此他們開始使用Kinect攝像頭的深度傳感器，在沒有環(huán)境光源的情況下找到昆蟲。

????博茲庫爾特表示：“Kinect攝像頭獲取了需要昆蟲行走的路徑。然后攝像頭將路線劃分成多個(gè)路徑點(diǎn)，將昆蟲從一個(gè)路徑點(diǎn)移動(dòng)到下一個(gè)。攝像頭會根據(jù)昆蟲的具體外形找到昆蟲，并向昆蟲佩戴的背部裝置發(fā)送必要的波形。該背部裝置會向昆蟲的感覺器官發(fā)送微伏脈沖，幫助我們操控昆蟲。原理類似于用韁繩騎馬?！?/p>

????此外，該項(xiàng)目還使用Kinect來收集蟑螂對遠(yuǎn)程控制接口發(fā)出的電脈沖如何響應(yīng)的數(shù)據(jù)。這些數(shù)據(jù)將幫助研究人員調(diào)整操控方式，以更加精確地控制昆蟲。研究團(tuán)隊(duì)將使用微軟的最新款Kinect 2.0來進(jìn)一步推進(jìn)實(shí)驗(yàn)。Kinect 2.0隨Xbox One同步上市。

????博茲庫爾特說道：“當(dāng)我們嘗試著促使昆蟲向聲源移動(dòng)時(shí)，先進(jìn)的傳感器音頻處理技術(shù)也會帶領(lǐng)我們進(jìn)入一些有趣的場景?！?/p>

????Scientists at North Carolina State University are using Microsoft’s Kinect camera for something very different than video games. The insects, which seem able to withstand anything, may one day soon be helping emergency first responders navigate disaster wreckage. Because the bugs are so small, they can get through nooks and crannies that neither rescue dogs nor people can navigate. Researchers have been using Kinect, the same camera technology in Xbox 360 and PCs, to create a remote control that will enable people to guide the insects like a remote-controlled car. The cockroaches can be equipped with miniature cameras and can be sent in before dogs and humans, which allows emergency personnel to get a first look at the situation.

????“For years, roboticists have been trying to mimic insects when building centimeter-scale robots,” said Dr. AlperBozkurt, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper on the work. “We came up with the idea of building a partnership with insects rather than trying to mimic them, similar to riding horses before our motorcycles and cars took over the streets. Roaches were the most easily accessible insects and are very robust walkers.”

????The interface that controls the roach is wired to the roach’s antennae and cerci. The cerci are sensory organs on the roach’s abdomen, which are normally used to detect movement in the air that could indicate a predator is approaching – causing the roach to scurry away. But the researchers use the wires attached to the cerci to spur the insect into motion. The wires attached to the antennae send small charges that trick the roach into thinking the antennae are in contact with a barrier and steering them in the opposite direction.

????Bozkurt’s team wanted to build an automated test platform where they could objectively assess whether they could turn an insect into an insect biobot. One criterion was to run the experiments in the dark, so they started to use a Kinect camera’s depth sensor to find the insect without any ambient light.

????“The Kinect camera knows the path that needs to be followed by the insect,” said Bozkurt. “Then it divides this route into multiple waypoints and moves the insect from one waypoint to another. It detects the insect from its specific shape and it sends necessary waveforms to the backpack the insect is wearing. This backpack applies microvolts of impulses to the insect’s sensory organs, which helps us to steer the insect. It’s similar to riding a horse with reins.”

????The program also uses Kinect to collect data on how the roaches respond to the electrical impulses from the remote-control interface. This data will help the researchers fine-tune steering to control the roaches more precisely. The team will employ Microsoft’s new Kinect 2.0, which debuted with Xbox One, to further push this experiment forward.

????“The advanced audio processing on the sensor could also lead to some interesting scenarios when we try to make the insects move toward a sound source,” said Bozkurt.