Multimodal localization of a flying bat

We present a new multimodal system that combines stereoscopic and audio-based source localization to track the position of a flying bat. Also presented are novel algorithms for audio source localization. The bat was allowed to fly in an anechoic room and monitored by two high-speed video cameras. The vocalizations of the bat were simultaneously recorded from six microphones. The data was then processed offline to localize the source and reconstruct the trajectory of the bat. We compare the performance of the localization algorithm with the position data obtained from stereoscopic pictures of the bat. The results confirm that the stereoscopic analysis and the audio localization are in good agreement. This system opens up new possibilities for performing multimodal research, and developing more tightly integrated algorithms.