Localizing an Odor Source and Avoiding Obstacles: Experiments in a Wind Tunnel using Real Robots

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  • Presented at: 13th International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose, Brescia, Italy, April 15-17, 2009
  • Published in: Proceedings of the 13th International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose, p. 69-72
  • Series: AIP Conference Proceedings 1137
  • : , 2009

We report on real-robot odor source localization experiments carried out in an environment with obstacles in the odor plume. The robot was equipped with an ethanol sensor and a wind direction sensor, and the experiments were carried out in a wind tunnel, i.e. in a controlled environment. An enhanced version of the surge-spiral algorithm was used, which was augmented with a dedicate behavior to manage obstacles (avoid them, or follow their contour). We compare the results in terms of distance overhead and success rate, and discuss the impact of obstacles on plume traversal.

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    Invited paper for the special session "Gas Sensors in Robotics".

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