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Chemotactic Search in Complex Environments

From Insects To Real-world Applications

  • Conference paper
Book cover Electronic Noses & Sensors for the Detection of Explosives

Part of the book series: NATO Science Series II: Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry ((NAII,volume 159))

Abstract

Searching for trace quantities of predefined chemical compounds in natural environments, as in the case of explosives detection, is a difficult and challenging technological problem. Much chemical interference is likely to be present and the environment itself is often complex, nonstationary and unpredictable. Here we discuss nature’s ultimate solution to this problem, in the form of pheromone mediated chemotactic search of the moth. We argue here that this organism provides an ideal model for solving the technological problem and we discuss in detail the exploitation of specific sensory processing and behavioural mechanisms relevant to the task. Finally, we discuss the project AMOTH in which the authors work towards a fully implemented, real-world instantiation of these sensorimotor mechanisms in the form of an unmanned aerial vehicle.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NeuroLab, Centre for Bioengineering, Department of Engineering, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, UK

    Tim Pearce & Kwok Chong

  2. Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETH-Universitat Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

    Paul Verschure & Sergi Bermudez i Badia

  3. Department of Crop Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sundsvagen 14, Alnarp, Sweden

    Mikael Carlsson & Bill Hansson

  4. Alpha MOS, 10 Av Didier Daurat, Z1 Montaudran, Toulouse, France

    Eric Chanie

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  1. Tim Pearce
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  2. Kwok Chong
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  4. Sergi Bermudez i Badia
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  5. Mikael Carlsson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

    Julian W. Gardner

  2. National Center for Forensic Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA

    Jehuda Yinon

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© 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Pearce, T. et al. (2004). Chemotactic Search in Complex Environments. In: Gardner, J.W., Yinon, J. (eds) Electronic Noses & Sensors for the Detection of Explosives. NATO Science Series II: Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, vol 159. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-2319-7_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-2319-7_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-2317-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-2319-4

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