Ant-inspired navigation in unknown environments

Abstract

Instead of trying to replicate the sensing mechanisms of an ant, their functionality within the navigation task are modeled. The angles steered by a robot in an outdoors scenario are calculated using a magnetic compass that provide absolute orientation with respect to the magnetic field of the earth instead of the polarization vectors of the light of the sun. In a similar fashion, a robot equipped with exteroceptive sensors detect straight line segments inside a building and thus consider their orientation as an absolute orientation measurement.