Wind-borne Odor Tracking in Three Dimensions
Rutkowski, Adam J
Imagine an aerial vehicle that can track a wind-borne odor to its source. Such a vehicle could be used to locate lost pets and people, pipeline breaks, illegal drug labs, or hazardous chemicals. Although engineers are just beginning to build such a system, several such systems exist in the natural world. Flying animals, particularly insects, use odor plumes to guide themselves to food and mates. By studying this behavior, one can use this as i...