Reshaping Active Sensing via Closing a Feedback Loop Around Free Behavior

Active sensing movements encompass the intentional and controlled movements that organisms make to gather sensory information and interact with their environment. This study introduces a closed-loop system design aimed at discerning active sensing movements from all observed movement responses. An experimental setup was devised, which allows a software system to track the movement of a fish (input) in realtime. Furthermore, it adjusts the refuge in sync with the fish’s movement, considering the instantaneous position data (output). The technical architecture includes various elements such as a user interface, camera, motor control, simultaneous object tracking, and feedback mechanisms. The system’s primary objective is to integrate all these components effectively to facilitate the analysis of fish movements and responses. To achieve this, experiments were conducted on Eigenmannia virescens, a species of weakly electric fish. Refuge movements were manipulated through closed-loop applications based on the fish’s movements, and the effects of these alterations on the fish’s behaviors (active sensing movements) were evaluated post-experiment.