Signal artifacts in a light-adapted, Musca domestica-based sensor system - biomed 2011

The Musca domestica (common housefly) sensor project is an ongoing endeavor at the University of Wyoming. The project seeks to develop a sensor based on the rudimentary function of a fly’s eye, including the inherent hyperacuity (high sensitivity to motion) present in the insect’s vision. During the summer of 2010, several characterization tests were conducted on the latest sensor design at the University of Wyoming. It was found that the light-adaptation circuitry being utilized caused artifacts in the output signals. These artifacts, while initially bothersome, have a distinct use as a means to detect motion direction across the sensor’s field-of-view. This paper provides background information on the sensor design being considered, discusses one of the tests conducted, and offers results that illustrate the signal artifacts. The potential uses of these artifacts, as well as what causes them, is discussed in detail.