Using naïve physics for odor localization in a cluttered indoor environment

This paper describes current progress of a project, which uses naïve physics to enable a robot to perform efficient odor localization. Odor localization is the problem of finding the source of an odor or other volatile chemical. Most localization methods require the robot to follow the odor plume along its entire length, which is time consuming and may be especially difficult in a cluttered environment. These drawbacks are significant in light of potential applications such as search and rescue operations in damaged buildings. In this project a map of the robot’s environment was used, together with a naïve physics model of airflow, to predict the pattern of air movement. The robot then used the airflow pattern to reason about the probable location of the odor source. This approach, based on naïve physics, has successfully located odor sources in a simplified environment. This demonstrates that naïve physics can be used to assist odor localization operations and indicates that similar techniques have great potential for allowing a robot operating in an unstructured environment to reason about its surroundings. This paper presents details of the naïve physical model of airflow, the reasoning system, the experimental equipment, and results of practical odor source localization experiments.