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How robots learn to hike

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a new control technology that enables ANYmal, a quadrupedal robot, to combine visual perception of its environment with proprioception-based sensing. This allows the robot to tackle rough terrain faster and more efficiently.

SourceETH Zurich·JournalScience Robotics·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 21, 2022

Sleeping mice show busy brains

A new study reveals that the superior colliculus, a lesser-studied region responsible for saccades and facial recognition, dynamically changes its clustering of neurons depending on the mouse's conscious state. This finding suggests that the brain optimizes visual information processing based on its awake or anesthetized state.

SourceKyoto University·TypeExperimental study·DateDec 27, 2021

Seeing shapes

Carlos Ponce is studying the parts of the visual system that analyze shapes, using macaque monkeys as a model. He combines computational models with electrophysiology experiments to understand how neurons process visual information.

SourceHarvard Medical School·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateDec 8, 2021

Efficient coding: How the brain optimizes allocation of resources

A study published in eLife found that rats exhibit efficient coding processes for visual stimuli, similar to those observed in humans. This suggests a universal principle in vision, where the brain adapts to its environment by specializing in the recognition of informative signals, thereby conserving computational resources and energy.

SourceScuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati·JournaleLife·TypeExperimental study·DateDec 7, 2021

Primordial ‘hyper-eye’ discovered

A team of researchers has found a 390-million-year-old hyper-facet eye system in trilobites that is unique to the animal kingdom. The discovery suggests that this ancient eye may have been an adaptation for life in low light conditions, and could provide insights into the evolution of visual systems.

SourceUniversity of Cologne·JournalScientific Reports·TypeObservational study·DateSep 30, 2021

Our eyes and brain work together to create a ‘pipeline’ of meaning – new study

Researchers at the University of Birmingham discovered that humans process written words rapidly, using pre-processing judgments within 100ms, and that this activity is linked to the complexity of the word. This study has significant implications for diagnosing and training individuals with dyslexia where pre-processing is impaired.

SourceUniversity of Birmingham·JournalTrends in Cognitive Sciences·TypeCommentary/editorial·DateSep 21, 2021

Batters move their heads to keep their eyes on the ball

Researchers found that batters keep their eye on the ball but move their head to direct their gaze. The study suggests that this movement may help reduce visual calculations needed for accurate bat placement. Further investigation is needed to determine if eye-gaze-based training can improve batting performance.

SourceOhio State University·JournalOptometry and Vision Science·TypeLiterature review·DateAug 12, 2021

Not-so-blind mice can make strategic and acute visual choices

Researchers found that mice can make fine visual discriminations between slightly different lines, suggesting a more complex decision-making process than previously thought. The study's findings highlight the importance of considering non-perceptual biases in understanding animal behavior and decision-making strategies.

SourceRIKEN·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJul 28, 2021

How the brain paints the beauty of a landscape

A study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found that brain activity associated with aesthetically appealing natural landscapes is not limited to the reward system, but also involves early visual areas. This suggests an early form of beauty perception that can be triggered by surprise and unexpected stimuli

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·JournalFrontiers in Human Neuroscience·DateJul 23, 2021

Babies can see things that adults cannot

Infants younger than 7 months can perceive faces even when they are followed by a mask image, but this ability disappears in older infants. The study found that visual backward masking occurs due to interference with feedback processing, which develops in the second half of the first year of life.

SourceChuo University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJun 25, 2021

Study shows how our brains sync hearing with vision

Researchers at McGill University found that brain signals constantly adapt to synchronize visual and auditory inputs, using temporal recalibration to adjust our sense of time. This dynamic process enables us to perceive sounds and images as simultaneous, despite the different physical velocities and neural processing speeds.

SourceMcGill University·JournalCommunications Biology·DateMay 11, 2021

Depression affects visual perception

Researchers at the University of Helsinki found that depression alters the way the brain processes visual information, with depressed individuals perceiving contrast as stronger. The study used two visual tests to compare brain function in patients with depression to those without.

SourceUniversity of Helsinki·JournalJournal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience·DateMar 29, 2021

Consumer-created social media visuals capture consumer brand perceptions

Consumer-created social media visuals are reflective of consumer brand perceptions, according to researchers who developed a new model called BrandImageNet. This model maps images to perceptual attributes of a brand, allowing firms to automatically monitor consumers' brand perceptions and evaluate their positioning strategies.

More than meets the eye

A new study finds that people with face blindness use different memory processes for face recognition, relying on familiarity rather than recollection. The research suggests that successful facial recognition requires more than a vague familiarity with a face.

SourceHarvard Medical School·JournalCortex·DateJul 10, 2020

Sniffing out smell

Researchers discovered that neural representations of smell in the cortex reflect chemical similarities between odors, allowing for categorization. The findings also suggest that sensory experiences can rewire these representations.

SourceHarvard Medical School·JournalNature·DateJul 2, 2020

Rethinking visual awareness

Research on brain-damaged patients with distorted perception reveals neural processing can occur despite lack of awareness. The study's findings have significant implications for theories of human visual awareness and suggest a reevaluation of the relationship between complex cognitive processing and awareness.

SourceProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJun 22, 2020

Why visual perception is a decision process

Researchers found that prediction errors can be accessed during final processing stages of perception, contradicting previous theories. This means the brain simultaneously keeps track of past, current, and future image contents, allowing for stability and flexibility in rapid image sequences.

SourceRuhr-University Bochum·JournalPLOS ONE·DateMay 12, 2020

How mistakes help us recognize things

Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt found that mistakes in short-term memory, such as misperceiving the motion direction of dots, contribute to our ability to recognize and integrate visual information over time. This 'blurring' of perception helps us perceive a stable environment despite constant changes.

SourceGoethe University Frankfurt·JournalNature Communications·DateApr 28, 2020

Always counterclockwise

A study by Kiel University researchers has identified a consistent counterclockwise deviation in the orientation of newly built Early Neolithic houses in Central and Eastern Europe. The finding is attributed to the phenomenon known as pseudo-neglect, where humans tend to prefer their left visual field.

SourceKiel University·JournalPLOS ONE·DateJan 10, 2020

How brain rhythms organize our visual perception

A team of neuroscientists discovered that the brain combines visual features through high-frequency oscillations to achieve a unified percept. The researchers measured nerve cell activity in rhesus monkeys while performing a visual perception task, finding that faster responses occurred with stronger high-frequency oscillations.

SourceDeutsches Primatenzentrum (DPZ)/German Primate Center·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateSep 9, 2019

'You all look alike to me' is hard-wired in us, UCR research finds

A new study led by UC Riverside psychologist Brent Hughes found that the tendency to recognize differences in own-race faces is greater than in other-race faces, a phenomenon known as the 'other-race effect.' This bias occurs even at early stages of sensory perception and can affect downstream beliefs and behaviors.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJul 8, 2019