A Robot Scorpion Using Ground Vibrations for Navigation*

Robotics can ·leam a lot by investigating simple and effective techniques evolved in biology. The sand scorpion that ·lives· in the Mojave Desert uses ground vibrations when locating. its prey. In this paper it is shown that a robot can be made to navigate using similar techniques. A six-legged robot was constructed and fitted with vibration sensors to try the concept. Such a robot could be used in applications such as the search for victims after natural disasters. This paper presents the hardware design, algorithms for direction and location finding of a vibration source, the results of simulations and the performance of the direction finding system.