Wide-Field Integration Methods for Visuomotor Control

In this chapter wide-field integration (WFI) methods, inspired by the spatial decompositions of wide-field patterns of optic flow in the insect visuomotor system, are reviewed as an efficient means to extract visual cues for guidance and navigation. A control-theoretic framework is described that is used to quantitatively link weighting functions to behaviorally relevant interpretations such as relative orientation, position, and speed in a corridor environment. The methodology is demonstrated on a micro-helicopter using analog VLSI sensors in a bent corridor.