Reactive Maze Solving with a Biologically-Inspired Wind Sensor

Tim Chapman Department of Psychology, University of Stirling, Scotland, FK9 4DN, UK [email protected] Adam T. Hayes MS136-93, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA [email protected] Mark W. Tilden MSA454, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA [email protected] Abstract We describe the design and testing of a novel biologically-inspired wind sensor, based on the cricket's cercal liform hair cells. The sensor is mounted on a Khepera mobile robot, and competence at following a real wind plume is shown, even at low wind speeds. Further testing demonstrates the ability of the system to perform a dynamic maze solving task, and the exploitation of the hair sensors as tactile whiskers is discussed.