tabletop experimentation
Shielded Tents are based on the Faraday cage principle and are used to cut out electromagnetic interference – (wif, phone signals etc)
I have been considering using one of these to put people in while they interface with the fish. People have been making foil lined clothes to block out RFID scanners – so I am thinking I will need to make my own cage using a foil lining. as these cages are well expensive.
http://www.hollandshielding.com/faraday/shieldedtents.php
Any one keeping electric fish will note the particular and strange way they float around the tank swimming backwards and rolling from side to side – this research presents some interesting Neuromechanical explanations and visualizations of this…
http://www.cnse.caltech.edu/Research/reports/maciver-full.html
[ by Carl Hopkins] “Neuroethology is the biological approach to the study of the neural basis of behavior. Thus, the focus is on the role of the nervous system in behavior, but the perspective is that which is called ‘ethological’. The ethological approach emphasizes the causation, the development, the evolution, and the function of behavior and neuroethologists seek to understand this in terms of neural circuits. Neuroethology is the study of natural behavior, which, in the older scientific literature, was called “instinctive behavior” or “innate behavior”. Neuroethologists base their studies on behavioral studies that often are done in the field on the animal’s own turf.”
I found this article on http://www.jyi.org/news/nb.php?id=905 JYI, Inc. is a exciting, student-led initiative to broaden the scope of the undergraduate scientific experience. The experiment sounds quite interesting. The evolution of the mono-fin is apparently to minimize distortion if the fishes body while swimming (tis is one theory anyway) – and this suggests that it can also compensate for the swaying movements of plants purely through sensory response?
“Electric” Fish Illuminate How Brain Directs Movement
“Two properties of the fish, called glass knifefish, made them ideal for motion studies. First, the nocturnal fish “see” in the dark by emitting weak electric signals and gathering feedback through special electroreceptors in their brain cells. Second, the fish are capable of moving back and forth in a small tube, a behavior crucial to the study design.
The researchers used robotics to move a small plastic tube back and forth with increasing frequency. The fish, which used the tube as a hiding place, performed an electrical tracking technique to stay hidden in the tube as it moved. But the fish could only process the speed of the moving tube below a frequency of one motion per second (1Hz), a quality scientists describe as “low-pass” since receptors in brain cells only detect frequencies lower than a certain limit.
The hammer head shark has to be the best looking of the sharks – I have only seen them on the “Blue planet” series – I was intrigued at the massive shoals where they seem to perform this odd twitch where the body flexes almost like a spasm – i was wandering if this has anything to do with generating a pulse of electricity that other sharks can detect? as thses sharks are not electrically active – but can only detect the electrical signals of muscle activity – such as small creatures under the sand….
“The ampullae of Lorenzini give the shark electrosense. The ampullae consist of small clusters of electrically sensitive receptor cells positioned under the skin in the shark’s head. These cells are connected to pores on the skin’s surface via small jelly-filled tubes. Scientists still don’t yet understand everything about these ampullary organs, but they do know the sensors let sharks “see” the weak electrical fields generated by living organisms. The range of electrosense seems to be fairly limited — a few feet in front of the shark’s nose — but this is enough to seek out fish and other prey hiding on the ocean floor.”
http://science.howstuffworks.com/shark2.htm
Nelson Lab is one of the best recourses for information on the electric fish – it has also the most advanced computer visualizations of EOD discharge during prey capture…
“Computer reconstruction of electrosensory images
By combining the physical principles of electrosensory image formation and our knowledge of the response properties of electrosensory afferent nerve fibers, we can use computer models to reconstruct electrosensory images observed by the fish during electrolocation. The figure below shows a computer reconstructed image sequence from our prey capture studies. “
I have been fascinated by this project – Part 2 of the ENKI project will be based around this particular experiment…
Christian Graff, Gwenaël Kaminski, Michael Gresty, and Théophile Ohlmann
“We presented the fishes with different spatial structures, each consisting of a similar tube of insulating material, with eight electrodes set into the inside surface of the tube and wired to a switchboard outside the tank. Depending on the way electrodes were externally interconnected, these assemblies created different “shapes” in space. The shapes were 3D patterns of distortion in the electrical flux issuing from the fish’s electric organ. They formed virtual objects or places that could not be distinguished by visual, mechanical, or chemical means but only existed through electricity, similar to the way in which virtual objects or places on a TV screen only exist through light. In order to perform our tasks, the fish had to actively explore the maze by “scanning” with its electrical field and sensing distortion patterns caused by sinks and sources of flux.”
http://www.sciencedirect.com Current Biology
Volume 14, Issue 9, 4 May 2004, Pages 818-823
neurologist Michael Persinger created a helmet modified with electrical coils that can create electromagnetic fields in the wearer’s temporal lobes that induces “religious” experiences in the people who put it on. I think the low-fi experimental devises he has made are excellent – I have seen several different types and it seems that some people are making these to order – although they seem relatively easy to recreate.
http://www.geocities.com/satanicus_2/GodHelmet.html
“This is a device to investigate whether religious, spiritual, and mystical experiences had a natural rather than a supernatural source. He speculates that we are somehow programmed so that they can generate religious experiences via our brain’s internal processes. He had noted that there were many points of similarity between seizures experienced by some individuals who suffered from epilepsy, and the types of mental and spiritual experiences that St. Paul, Moses, and many religious mystics had reported. 3 Persinger wondered if visions, a sense of the immediate presence of God, and other mystical experiences could be artificially created in the laboratory by magnetically inducing changes in the temporal lobes of a person’s brain.”
By Artist/Physicist/Inventor, Dr. David Deak
“The 12 inch cubed plexiglas Helmholtz Resonant Cavity has 3 speakers attached to the cube by aluminium acoustic waveguides.
By applying a continuous resonant(600Hertz) sound wave, and by adjusting the amplitude and phase relationship amongst the 3 speakers; I was able to control levitation and movement in all 3 (x,y,z) axis of the ambient space.
This research was used to show the effects of micro-gravity conditions that exist in the space shuttle environment in orbit, but done here on Earth in a lab.
This is one of my favorite tales of strange science – I have tried to recreate this experiment after finding these same ‘acari’ spontaneously generating from cups of moldy coffee I was observing for several months as part of an exhibition…
Crosse was from somerset and had a laboratory with a large copper antenna, apparently for attracting lightning.
(This following text and images taken from this excellent site http://www.rexresearch.com/1index.htm )
Andrew CROSSE: Abiogenesis of Acari
In 1837, Andrew Crosse reported to the London electrical Society concerning the accidental spontaneous generation of life in the form of Acurus genus insects while he was conducting experiments on the formation of artificial crystals by means of prolonged exposure to weak electric current. Throughout numerous strict experiments under a wide variety of conditions utterly inimical to life as we know it, the insects continued to manifest. The great Michael Faraday also reported to the Royal Institute that he had replicated the experiment. Soon afterwards, all notice of this phenomenon ceased to be reported, and the matter has not been resolved since then.
(and this text from http://bizarrelabs.com/acarix.htm )
This is Acarus electricus, a mite first noticed by Andrew Crosse in 1837. Crosse was an amateur scientist, and was conducting experiments on the growth of crystals by subjecting certain minerals to long term, low level electric currents. The mineral sample, an iron oxide, was imbibed with a toxic mixture of hydrochloric acid and a silicate of potash solution, and continuously electrified by means of a battery. Several weeks into the experiment, filaments began to appear on the stone, which apparently resembled insects. Eventually, Crosse noticed movement, and detected a great number of living mites on the sample. He repeated the experiment under closely monitored conditions using sterilized and sealed equipment. Again, the mites appeared. Word soon got out, and popular opinion was that living creatures had been synthesized from inorganic matter. Crosse was called everything from a blasphemer to a Frankenstein, despite the fact that he never made any claims that he had created life, or even discovered a new species. In fact, he never attempted to explain the phenomenon, other than hazarding a guess that they may have hatched from airborne eggs deposited before the device was sealed.
These are some of the leading research labs working with electric fish Neurobiology & Behavior; Good sources for essential information and also some great publications. and have provided much of the background for my project
apteronote.com Aptéronote – Mariage aquatique de la physique et de la biologie – Les caractéristiques des poissons faiblement électriques – les gymnotiformes – On y discute leurs comportements, système electrosensoriel, capacité de communication électrique, electroreception et le fonctionnement du cerveau.
Hopkins Lab, Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Cornell University.
Research in this lab concerns the neural basis of animal communication, including studies of mechanisms of signal generation, signal localization, and signal recognition in the context of species recognition. Our focus is on communication in the electrosensory modality of fish
amazonian-fish.co.uk
Amazonian Fishes and their Habitat
Nelson Lab
Our research is focused on active sensory acquisition. We seek to understand neural mechanisms and computational principles that animals use t o actively acquire sensory information in complex, dynamic environments
Here is a video taken during the Lovebytes festival – we got rained on quite a lot so there was none much to watch -
We are making a log into a leg – this is a race that pole lathe experts do to prove their skill – they do it in 9mis to make two perfect chair legs – it took us about 3 hours to make one bad one – but its ok because its art.
check out the site www.owlproject.com for full info…
I did a performance for this event organised by Markus Soukup as part of the Sound Network (Binaural Orchestra (G Byatt, D. Stockton & Guests), Modulus (Antony Hall), Apple & Can (Moebius & Igor Hax), Plus Projection By John O’Shea (‘Photography Where The Shutter Is Not Open’)
The performance was based arround the concept of amplitude modulation. The earliest experiment using the concept of AM transmission was made at Bell Laboratories – where they used a water jet to record the conversation and ambient sounds in a room and etch these to wax cylinder. C.V. Boys demonstrated the ability of a water jet to amplify the sound of a ticking clock and a tuning fork.
During the performance for binary Jam I placed Daphnia in a droplet placed on a sensor; the water drop created a lens. The sounds were created as the creatures passed through the laser and creating distortions with the movement of the body and antennas – as well as the effect of the creature bouncing on and off the wall of the droplet causing the lens to shake and oscillate – creating a drum like reverberation.
I also used a USB interface with 8 light sensors controlled by candles to generate harmonic frequencies and drones with MAX MSP.
Greg Byatt kindly took these images…
Daphnia – contained in droplet on light sensors.
Droplet with laser transmitting through it.
I use hydrophones frozen in an ice block as a demonstration in workshops – The sound varies depending on the rate of freezing & how many air-bubbles are frozen within the block…
Dr. Hans Jenny in his study of Cymatics – study of matters pertaining to waves
ENKI interface
Test and demonstration of prototype
My self and Gregory Byatt ran this event last year – and are due to do it again this year – only a bit differently – the thing will hopefully sue more visualization and actively use the neuro-feedback (through interfacing it with MAX MSP)
Documentation of first event;
Museum of Science and Industry Manchester, 7th October 2006
See the film here…
The participants become part of experimental research, as we record brain wave data and monitor the behaviour of the electric fish during the experiment. The electrical activity of the fish is experienced as sound and light via ENKI (a stroboscopic high frequency led placed close to eye lid) and the natural binaural frequencies produce by the interaction and communication between Black Ghost Knife fish. Participants bio-electric field is connected to the aquarium allowing the fish to sense a human (bio)electric image or presence.
The second phase of the ENKI project starts next week – in preperation for its next showing at the European Forum for emerging creation, Luxembourg.
It is a hexapod with kinematics based… It is a hexapod with kinematics based on studies of the cockroach Blaberus discoidalis performed in the Ritzmann Lab in the Biology Department at CWRU.
By Garnet Hertz (2005) “Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot” is an experimental mechanism that uses a living Madagascan hissing cockroach atop a modified trackball to control a three-wheeled robot. If the cockroach moves left, the robot moves left. Infrared sensors also provide navigation feedback to the cockroach, striving to create a pseudo-intelligent system with the cockroach as the CPU
Highspeed vibration of cornstarch solution
Chladni Plate
Classic experiment originally done with violin bow.
