Rats sweep their vibrissae through space to locate objects in their immediate
environment. In essence, their view of the proximal world is generated through
pliable hairs that tap and palpate objects. The texture and shape of those objects
must be discerned for the rat to assess the value of the object. Furthermore, the
location of those objects must be specified with reference to the position of
the rat's head for the rat to plan its movements. Recent in vivo and in vitro
electrophysiological measurements provide insight into the algorithms and mechanisms
that underlie these behavioral-based computations.