Sniffer robots come a step nearer thanks to new software

0 Comments | AFP, January, 2007

PARIS (AFP) — Smart sniffer robots able to detect chemical leaks, drugs or explosives are set to become a step closer to reality thanks to a new algorithm, scientists report. The program takes its cue from wildlife which rely on levels of smell in the air or in water to guide them to food or a mate, according to their paper, which appears in the British journal Nature.

The problem for smell hunters is that odours fade over distance, leaving only a patchy trail. The hunter then has to decide what is the optical search route -- to try to locate the odour on the basis of the last patch, or to strike out adventurously in a new area. The algorithm, called Infotaxis, balances the two, using a zigzag path, rather like the flight of moths, in order to maximize the amount of...