Robot Navigation Inspired by Insects, Ever find yourself in awe of insects’ ability to go great distances from their nests and still manage to return? This is an important question not only for biology but also for building AI for small autonomous robots. TU Delft researchers were inspired by the way ants use their sense of vision to get safely home and measure the steps they take. They used these realizations to create a lightweight robot navigation scheme based on the skills of insects.
With very little memory and computing power (1.16 kiloBytes per 100 m), this technique allows tiny robots to make long-distance home runs. These autonomous robots have the potential to completely transform a number of industries in the future, including industrial gas leak detection and warehouse inventory management. Science Robotics announced the findings on July 17, 2024.
Empowering Tiny Robots for Real-World Applications
Tiny robots, weighing only a few hundred to tens of grams, have a great deal of potential applications. Their lightweight construction ensures safety even in inadvertent collisions, and their compact size allows them to fit through confined spaces. Furthermore, if created at a reasonable cost, they might be widely dispersed to effectively cover huge regions, such as greenhouses, for early disease and pest detection. However, given their smaller size in comparison to their larger counterparts, achieving autonomous operation for such small robots presents major hurdles.
Overcoming Obstacles in Self-Driving Navigation
The main obstacle to the practical usage of small robots is their limited autonomy in navigation. Larger robots might have to rely on external infrastructure, such radio beacons or GPS, but these are frequently not realistic options. While GPS signals are inconsistent indoors and in urban situations, building and maintaining internal beacons is costly and sometimes impracticable, especially in dynamic scenarios like search and rescue operations.
Solutions Drawn From Nature for Self-Driving Navigation
Inspired by insects that can travel great distances with very little in the way of sensing or computing power, researchers are looking to nature for answers. By observing visual signals, insects navigate by utilizing a mix of “view memory” and “odometry”. Compared to traditional methods, which rely on power-hungry sensors or complex 3D mapping, this methodology is different since small robots cannot achieve these goals due to their restricted size and power..
Using Snapshot-Based Navigation to Create New
Researchers have created a navigation strategy based on snapshots, drawing inspiration from insects such as ants. By using this technique, robots may navigate their surroundings cognitively and utilize visual signals to return, much like Hansel in the Stone Age tale. In order to preserve accuracy in navigation over extended distances and conserve memory, robots are able to autonomously space out these images.
Future Prospects and Realistic Application
A major breakthrough in the application of small autonomous robots in practical situations is the navigation approach inspired by insects. Robots can return to their starting positions on their own thanks to it, even though it doesn’t create precise maps. This capacity is sufficient for robots to collect data and return without needing continuous navigation assistance, such as in warehouse inventory management and greenhouse monitoring.
Researchers are making significant strides toward improving security and effectiveness in complicated situations by leveraging natural insights to enable the broad deployment of small autonomous robots across multiple industries.
