A multi-sensory robot for testing biologically-inspired odor plume tracking strategies

Abstract

There are many dangerous or toxic substances that release characteristic chemicals or contaminants into the atmosphere. Locating them by tracking their airborne "scent" may provide a reliable and safe method of identifying their locations. Many animals routinely locate environmental resources by tracking the chemical plumes they release. A robot able to match the performance of these biological examples would represent a significant technological advancement and would provide a reliable method for locating sources of turbulently dispersed chemicals. Working towards this goal, a suitable sensor suite was interfaced to an off-the-shelf wheeled robot. Wind sensors were developed and integrated on the platform with chemical sensors. The robot is shown to autonomously orient to wind and move upwind similar to animals that are following a plume. In future work the robot will be used to test odor tracking algorithms inspired by the hawkmoth Manduca sexta and other animals