Abstract:
This project aims to create a microcontroller control system to stimulate the crayfish tail stretch receptor.
In area of biology, a crayfish is a commonly used animal model for understanding sensory function,
and for our project crayfish tail stretch receptor is studied in introductory neurobiology labs. In order to
automate the crayfish tail receptor stimulator, a servo motor driven by a microcontroller was used, and
several control inputs were designed on the user interface board connected to the microcontroller for
factor controls. At the end of the design project, the automated crayfish stretch receptor stimulator was able
to pull the crayfish tail a known amount at a consistent speed. The design is able to let the user vary the pulling
amount and the speeds, and even set up a paradigm of different pulls and speeds during the same epoch.
With more steady and more accurate pulls than manual stimulator, such a stimulator makes things easier
for learners to understand related sensory knowledge in crayfish tail receptor labs and for researchers to
do study in crayfish tail receptor experiments.
Full report (pdf)
Poster (pdf)
