Biomimetic robot lobster performs chemo-orientation in turbulence using a pair of spatially separated sensors: Progress and challenges

Lobsters are capable of tracking turbulent plumes to their sources faster than can be accomplished by estimating a spatial gradient from time-averaging the concentration signal. We have used RoboLobster, a biomimetic robot lobster to investigate biologically scaled chemotaxis algorithms using two point concentration sampling to track a statistically characterized turbulent plume. Our results identify the range of effectiveness of these algorithms and, with studies of lobster behavior, suggest effective strategies beyond this range. They suggest that a lobster’s chemo-orientation strategy entails an unidentified means of dealing with the intermittency of the concentration signal. Extensions of these algorithms likely to improve are discussed. ©2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.