Design and Performance Evaluation of an Infotaxis-Based Three-Dimensional Algorithm for Odor Source Localization

Abstract

In this paper we tackle the problem of finding the source of a gaseous leak with a robot in a three-dimensional (3-D) physical space. The proposed method extends the operational range of the probabilistic Infotaxis algorithm [1] into 3-D and makes multiple improvements in order to increase its performance in such settings. The method has been tested systematically through high-fidelity simulations and in a wind tunnel emulating realistic conditions. The impact of multiple algorithmic and environmental parameters has been studied in the experiments. The algorithm shows good performance in various environmental conditions, particularly in high wind speeds and different source release rates.