Vibration Communication Research Articles

A comparative characterization of recording devices for vibration signals on the example of <i>Heterocerus fenestratus</i> (Thunberg, 1784) (Coleoptera: Heteroceridae)

Works on vibration communication for Orthoptera and Hemiptera are widely known in Russian literature. Basically, the piezoelectric adapter GZK-661 or the electromagnetic transducer GZM-105 are used for recording this communication. The use of these devices does not give satisfactory results when recording insects smaller than 1 cm. In this paper we consider a comparative characteristic of recording devices based on the piezoelectric transducer GZK-661, electromagnetic transducer GZM-105 and electrodynamic head eas15s02m when recording vibration communication of near-water rigid-winged Heterocerus fenestratus (Thunberg, 1784) (Coleoptera: Heteroceridae). A comparative analysis of the efficiency of the three transducers considered in this paper shows that the transducer based on the electrodynamic loudspeaker head used as a signal source (reverse mode of operation) has the best characteristics. In addition, the shielded magnetic system of the dynamic head provides high magnetic induction in the working gap and insensitivity to inductions from external electromagnetic fields. 176 stress signals were recorded for males and 189 for females. The range of dominant frequencies ranged from 857,29 to 1002,01 Hz for males and from 898,04 to 1189,12 Hz for females.

Design and Implementation of Robust, Secure, Simple Bluetooth Pairing using Physical Vibration

Short-range wireless communications technology is increasingly employed for communication among electronic devices. As a result, the demand for simple and secure connections between remote devices is also growing. In general, pairing is the establishment of an authentication key for agreement to secure communications between two devices over a wireless channel. In this paper, we propose a novel, secure, simple Bluetooth Low Energy pairing technology using physical vibration. We describe contact communications using physical vibration and two additional optimizations (8b/10b encoding and single error correction) to improve robustness while maintaining the data transmission rate. The data rate of vibration communication is enhanced by more than 40% with the optimizations. We also present a prototype implementation of the proposed Bluetooth pairing, which employs a mobile phone and a vibration sensor using a piezo-resistive strain gauge. Finally, we discuss the security and usability of our proposed Bluetooth pairing technique for electronic devices, compared with previous methods.

Revisiting adaptations of neotropical katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) to gleaning bat predation

All animals have defenses against predators, but assessing the effectiveness of such traits is challenging. Neotropical katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) are an abundant, ubiquitous, and diverse group of large insects eaten by a variety of predators, including substrate-gleaning bats. Gleaning bats capture food from surfaces and usually use prey-generated sounds to detect and locate prey. A number of Neotropical katydid signaling traits, such as the emission of ultrasonic frequencies, substrate vibration communication, infrequent calling, and ultrasound-evoked song cessation are thought to have evolved as defenses against substrate-gleaning bats. We collected insect remains from hairy big-eared bat (Micronycteris hirsuta) roosts in Panama. We identified insect remains to order, species, or genus and quantified the proportion of prey with defenses against predatory bats based on defenses described in the literature. Most remains were from katydids and half of those were from species with documented defenses against substrate-gleaning bats. Many culled remains were from insects that do not emit mate-calling songs (e.g. beetles, dragonflies, cockroaches, and female katydids), indicating that eavesdropping on prey signals is not the only prey-finding strategy used by this bat. Our results show that substrate-gleaning bats can occasionally overcome katydid defenses.

Application of Partial Differential Equations to Drum Head Vibration, Signal Transmission and Chemical Communication in Insects

The application of partial differential equations to drumhead vibration, signal transmission and chemical communication in insects has been investigated. This study looked at three cases in communication namely: a single drumbeat on an idealized circular drumhead being struck at the centre of the circular membrane; signal transmission in a Coaxial cable and finally concentration of pheromone in still air within a tunnel. The governing equation of Case I was solved using separation of variables method whereas Laplace transform was used to solve Cases II and III. MATLAB software was then used to obtain simulations on the solutions obtained from the three cases. It was concluded that vibrations of a circular drumhead as a result of a single drumbeat mainly concentrates around the centre of the membrane and tends to flatten out further away from the centre. Signal propagation decreases with increasing distance and so the shorter the cable the less signal strength is lost. Finally, concentration of pheromone can only last for a given time and distance.

Maternal territoriality achieved through shaking and lunging: an investigation of patterns in associated behaviors and substrate vibrations in a colonial embiopteran, Antipaluria urichi.

Substrate vibration communication is displayed by a variety of insects that rely on silk for shelter. Such signaling is often associated with territoriality and social interactions. The goal in this study was to explore the use of substrate vibration by subsocial insects of the little-studied order Embioptera (also known as Embiidina). Antipaluria urichi (Saussure) (Embioptera: Clothodidae) from Trinidad and Tobago, a large embiopteran, exhibits maternal care and facultatively colonial behavior. Previous observations suggested that they were aggressive while guarding eggs but gregarious when not. Egg-guarders in particular have been observed shaking and lunging their bodies, but to date these putative signals have not been recorded nor were their contexts known. Staged interactions were conducted in the laboratory using residents that had established silk domiciles enveloping piezo-electric film used to detect vibrations. Predictions from two competing hypotheses, the maternal territoriality hypothesis and the group cohesion hypothesis, were erected to explain the occurrence of signaling. Experiments pitted pre-reproductive and egg-guarding residents against female and male intruders, representing social partners that ranged from potentially threatening to innocuous or even helpful. Behavioral acts were identified and scored along with associated substrate vibrations, which were measured for associated body movements, duration, and frequency spectra. Signals, sorted by the distinct actions used to generate them, were lunge, shake, push up, and snapback. Egg-guarding females produced most signals in response to female intruders, a result that supported the maternal territoriality hypothesis. Female intruders generally responded to such signaling by moving away from egg-guarding residents. In contrast, pre-reproductive residents did not signal much, and intruders settled beside them. Theme software was used to analyze the behavioral event recordings to seek patterns over time and their association with signals. Long patterns of behavioral acts were associated with shakes, lunges, and push-ups, indicating that interactions were occurring between the residents and intruders as would be expected when communication occurs. The value of Theme software, as well as the relationship between signaling by A. urichi and the risks and benefits of coloniality, are discussed.

Vibration communication in orthopteroid insects (Orthoptera) from suborder Caelifera

A review of vibration communication in suborder Caelifera is made. The vibration communication channel is found in three superfamilies—Tetrigoidea, Eumastacoidea and Acridoidea. The presence of vibration communication in Pyrgomorphoidea and Tridactyloidea is suggested. The data on vibration signals in superfamilies Pneumoroidea, Tanaoceroidea and Trigonopterygoidea are not known.