Realization of Physiological Eye Movements by Automatic Selection of Control Laws Using Artificial Neural Network

Eye movements are realized in hardware with controlling an optic axis according to the movement types of an object and a head using artificial neural network. Saccadic and smooth pursuit eye movements are realized as an autokinesis, and compensatory eye movement as a reflex by a hardware mechanism. In order to have basic optic axis movements, by which an object is caught in a central pit of retina, an oculomotor machine is developed for independent horizontal movements of a head and an eyeball. A CCD camera is used for the function of an eyeball. The image output from a camera is fed to the control of a servomotor instead of eye muscles to realize eye movements. The mechanism of a head rotation is linked through bearings to the neck of an oculomotor machine. An accelerometer is used for the function of semicircular ducts in order to predict possible displacement of a head rotation. The oculomotor machine is controlled for the above voluntary and reflex movements individually using neural network systems. The cooperative eye movements are then realized by automatic selection of control laws according to the movement types of an object and a head using a structuralized neural network information processing system.