Force pattern characterisation of Caenorhabditis elegans in motion
by Ali Ghanbari, Volker Nock, Richard Blaikie, J. Geoffrey Chase, XiaoQi Chen, Christopher E. Hann, Wenhui Wang
International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology (IJCAT), Vol. 39, No. 1/2/3, 2010

Abstract: Caenorhabditis elegans is a worm that could be mutated to have different muscle arms, which may generate distinct force patterns when the worm moves. In this paper, an integrated system employing both a novel PDMS device and a visual feedback from the device is reported. The silicone elastomer-based PDMS device consists of arrays of pillars, which form open channels for the worm to move in and bend the pillars in contact. Enabled by a single vision sensor (CCD/CMOS) camera, the computer vision system is able to transform the forces generated by C. elegans, through detecting the deflection of the pillars with sub-pixel accuracy. The experimental results demonstrate that the current vision-based force sensing system is capable of performing robust force measurements at a full 30 Hz with a 1.52 μN resolution. The framework has the potential to significantly facilitate the study on the relationship between muscle arms and force patterns of C. elegans in motion, and thus gives a better understanding of muscle arms development and modelling.

Online publication date: Wed, 18-Aug-2010

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