Email: lobster@neu.edu

Phone: 781.581.7370
Fax: 781.581.6076

Location: Marine Science Center
Mail: NU/Marine Science Center
          430 Nahant Road
          Nahant, MA 01908

Lab Web Page
Personal Web Page

Research Description

My research focuses on the neuroethology of motor systems in invertebrates and lower vertebrates. A developmental approach is directed toward establishing the adaptive mechanisms of simple action patterns and goal oriented behavior. In particular we  are investigating the detailed kinematics of walking, navigation and investigation and the adaptation of lobsters to current and surge as well as the neuroethology of lamprey swimming.  The overall goal of these projects is to develop biologically-based controllers for ambulatory lobster-based and undulatory lamprey-based robots. Currently we are focusing on developing electronic nervous systems for our robots based on chaotic electronic neurons. This neurotechnology will allow the generation of robots that can behave autonomously in unpredictible underwater environments.

Press:
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/288/5463/80
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/288/5463/82 

http://www.computer.org/computer/homepage/0904/Paulson/index.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/16/technology/circuits/16robo.html?pagewanted=1

Books

Ayers, J. and Davis, J., Rudolph, A. (2002) Neurotechnology for
Biomimetic Robots, MIT Press, 636pp.

Kato, N., Ayers, J., Morikawa, H. (2004). Bio-mechanisms of Swimming
and Flying. Tokyo, Springer-Verlag. 210pp.


Selected Publications

Ayers, J. and Witting, J. (2007) Biomimetic Approaches to the Control
of Underwater Walking Machines. Philosophical Transactions of the
Royal Society, A, 19 pp., In press.

Selverston, A. & Ayers, J. (2007) Oscillations and Oscillatory
Behavior in Small Neural Circuits. Biological Cybernetics, 27 pp., In
Press.

Ayers, J., Rulkov (2007) Controlling Biomimetic Underwater Robots
with Electronic Nervous Systems, In: Proc. International Symposium
on Aquabiomechanisms 2006, 8pp., Springer-Verlag., In press.

Ayers, J. Rulkov, N., Taub, E. Kim, Y., Knudsen, Selverston, A. &
Uswatte, G. (2006) Electronic Neurons: From Biomimetic Robots to
Blast Neurorehabilitation. Proc. 7th International Conference on
Technology and the Mine Problem, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey,
CA. 10 pp.

Selverston, A. I., Rabinovich, M. I., Huerta, R., Novotny, T., Levi,
R., Arshavsky, Y., Volkovskii, A., Ayers, J. & Pinto, R. (2005)
Biomimetic Central Pattern Generators for Robotics and Prosthetics.
In IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics, 1: 885
- 888. Shenyang, China.

Ayers, J. (2004). Architectures for Adaptive Behavior in Biomimetic
Underwater Robots. Bio-mechanisms of Swimming and Flying. N. Kato,
Ayers, J., Morikawa, H. Tokyo, Springer-Verlag: 171-187.

Lee, Y. J., J. Lee., Y.B. Kim, Ayers, J. , A. Volkovskii , A.
Selverston , H. Abarbanel , M. Rabinovich (2004). "Low Power Real
Time Electronic Neuron VLSI Design Using Subthreshold Techniques,."
IEEE Circuits and Systems 4: 744-747.

Ayers, J. (2004) Underwater Walking. Arthropod Structure and
Development 33, 347-360.

Ayers, J. , A. Volkovski, N. Rukov, A. Selverston, & H.D.I.
Abarbanel, M. R. 2003 Building a Brain for the Lobster Robot Using
Electronic Neurons. In International Conference on Non-Linear Wave
Physics, 3 pp. Nizhny-Novgorad, Russia.

Ayers, J. (2002) A Conservative Biomimetic Control Architecture for
Autonomous Underwater Robots. In: Neurotechnology for Biomimetic
Robots,. Ayers, J., J. Davis and A. Rudolph [eds]. MIT Press, pp.
241-259

Ayers, J. (2001) Building a Robotic Lobster. In Artificial Ethology,
D. MacFarland and O. Holland [eds]. pp. 139-155

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