BIOBSERVE - Trackit

	Trackit 2D
	Trackit performs object tracking at 50 frames per second. The obtained data is processed on-line and is instantly available to the user. The orientation of the long axis of the tracked object is also measured on-line. Trackit is an integral data acquistion system, consisting of a pan-tilt video camera, a PC with a video digitizing board and special-purpose software. The principle of the system is to follow the object with a close-up image, keeping it near the centre of the image. The movements of the camera and details of the grabbed images allow the subsequent calculation of the bees' trajectory.

The principle of 'Trackit': A pan-tilt video camera (VC) obtains close-up images of the flying insect.
1. These images are passed on to a frame grabber card within the computer.
2. Body axis oriantation and object position in the frame are determined,
3. Position is used to compute the steering commands for the camera.
4. The data are stored immediately for later use.

Trackit 3D uses two cameras to obtain 3-dimensional position data. Like its "little brother" it obtains data in real-time and at a temporal resolution of 50 frames per second. The system is designed for maximum flexibility and can adapt to various experimental designs.

In many experiments it would be desired to be able to vary the stimulus conditions as a function of the animal's behaviour. We provide a flexible and powerful solution to this problem: Positional data is read out in real-time, which can processed in a specific device or on a different computer (platform independently). In this way the stimulus conditions can be controlled and altered during the process of the trial.
Trackit 3D Commander is successfully used in a project in which a parasitoid nocturnal fly is tracked in 3-dimensional space (Dr. D. Robert, P. Müller, Bioacoustics Lab, University of Zürich; correspondence to: piemue@zool.unizh.ch). The graph below shows the 3-dimensional trajectory of the fly. The 3D position data is read out to a second computer on line, as the fly approaches an emitting loud-speaker. A second computer reads in the the positional data and is used to trigger a sensory stimulus when the fly is within a certain region, as for instance the shaded region shown in the graph.

Flight trajectory of a fly from a starting platoform (shown on the left side) to a loud-speaker on the floor. The observed volume was approx. 10 cubic metres. In the green shaded volume the fly’s position was used to control external hardware. Experiments and graph: Pie Müller, University Zurich

References

Graham P, Fauria K and Collett TS (2003). The influence of beacon-aiming on the routes of wood ants. J. Exp. Biol. 206: 535 - 541.
[Abstract] [pdf]

Graham P, Collett TS (2002) View-based navigation in insects: how wood ants (Formica rufa L.) look at and are guided by extended landmarks. J. Exp. Biol. 205: 2499-509.
[Abstract] [full text]

Müller P and Robert D (2002) Death comes suddenly to the unprepared: singing crickets, call fragmentation, and parasitoid flies. Behav. Ecol. 13:598–606
[Abstract] [full text]

Müller P and Robert D (2001) A shot in the dark: the silent quest of a free-flying phonotactic fly. J. Exp. Biol. 204: 1039-52.
[Abstract] [pdf]

Fry SN, Bichsel M, Müller P and Robert D (2000) Tracking of flying insects using pan-tilt cameras. J. Neurosci. Meth. 101: 59–67.
[Abstract] [full text]

If you have questions concerning this product, please don´t hesitate to use the following e-mail:
trackit@biobserve.com

European headquarter:
BIOBSERVE GmbH • Koenigswinterer Str. 418 • 53227 Bonn • Germany
Phone: +49 228 2016020 • Fax: +49 228 2016029
info@biobserve.com

North America:
2125 Center Ave. • Suite 500 • Fort Lee, NJ 07024
Phone: 201-302-6083 • Fax: 201-302-6062
info@biobserve.com