Robotic systems to track chemical plumes

Two types of robotic systems, one for tracking chemical plumes in air and the other for tracking underwater plumes, are discussed. The former employs two different modalities of sensors, i.e., semiconductor gas sensors and airflow sensors. Adopting the transient-response-based algorithm led to a successful development of a robot with the capability of plume detection and tracking indoors. For the development of the latter, the active sensing system was found promising in the present study.