ODOR-SOURCE LOCALIZATION SYSTEM MIMICKING BEHAVIOR OF SILKWORM MOTH

A new method for localizing odour sources by mimicking the behaviour o f silkworm moths is proposed. A male silkworm moth is able to localize its female counterpart by tracking airborne sexual pheromone. Through the observation of this behaviour, we have confirmed that wing vibrat ions are effective in enhancing the directivity of the odour stimulus. An artificial system with this mechanism has been realized using a se miconductor gas sensor and a small fan instead of the moth's antennae and wings, respectively, and the results of wind-tunnel experiments in dicate that the basic idea is sound. Furthermore, improvement of the s ystem to realize the three-dimensional localization required in a more difficult environment such as a clean room is reported, and its feasi bility is demonstrated.