Active Stereo Olfactory Sensing System for Localization of Gas/Odor Source

An active stereo nose (ASNose) is proposed for localization of gas sources. Dogs actively deform their nostrils when they sniff. The air in front of a dog is drawn to the nose by inhalation, and then, ejected backward. This backward jet further induces air currents flowing from the front of the dog to the nose, which assist in collecting odors. To mimic this mechanism, ASNose is equipped with two diaphragm pumps and two gas sensors. Air is sucked through two pipes, and delivered to the two gas sensors. The exhaust of the pumps is expired backward. Moreover, backflows inevitably generated by the diaphragm pumps make air currents flowing in the direction away from ASNose and work like an air curtain. Experimental results show that the actively generated air currents facilitate the directional determination of a gas source by enhancing the difference between the right and left gas sensor responses.