skylight

Editor’s Choice Paper 2023. Hardware prototype of the model using a ring of UV-sensitive photodiode pairs, and test it under cloudy and occluded skies.

The goal of the project is to develop nanophotonic on-chip devices for integrated sensing and neural computation, inspired by the insect brain.

In this talk we present our recent findings of the desert-ants’ celestial compass which uses the polarised-light pattern in the sky to estimate its heading direction.

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We propose a new hypothesis for how insects process polarised skylight to extract global orientation information that can be used for accurate path integration. Our model solves the problem of solar-antisolar meridian ambiguity by using a biologically constrained sensor array, and includes methods to deal with tilt and time, providing a complete insect celestial compass output. We analyse the performance of the model using a realistic sky simulation and various forms of disturbances, and compare the results to both engineering approaches and biological data.

Design a sensor that transforms skylight into a compass direction.