Slime Mold Inspired Chemical Sounding

This paper describes the biological motivation, design and testing of a novel obstacle sensor system based on the chemical sounding mechanism observed in slime molds. The sensor system emits a volatile sounding chemical and adjacent obstacles reduce the dispersion of the chemical. The resulting increase in chemical concentration is detected and interpreted as indicating an obstacle. To demonstrate the capabilities of the sensor it was mounted on an omnidirectional mobile base. Using direct sensor/actuator connection appropriate for a fungus-like organism the robot was able to demonstrate simple obstacle avoidance.