Bat-board: An integrated electronic system for a robotic bat

Abstract

The biosonar of horseshoe bats combines the standard elements of any sonar system, i.e., pulse generation and echo processing, with a peripheral dynamics provided by deforming baffle shapes for ultrasonic emission ("noseleaves") and reception (ears). Realizing a “bat robot” to reproduce this biological system requires the implementation of three main electronic functionalities: power distribution, analog signal conditioning, and robot control. To meet the size constraints of the bat robot, the work presented here has designed/implemented a “Bat Board” that integrates all three of these functionalities within a single circuit board. The power distribution component of the Bat Board supplies the high voltage amplifier, the air compressors/valves for the pneumatic actuators in the noseleaf/the ears of the sonar head, and the data acquisition systems. The high voltage signal amplification component was designed to power the electrostatic transducers that were selected for their broad-band output. To combat interferences originating from the power distribution and the digital control signals, different PCB layout paradigms were implemented in the design process such as separating ground planes and the extensive use of bypass capacitors. The result of this efforts has been a single PCB implementation with a very compact footprint and the potential for further miniaturization.