Echolocation of insects using intermittent frequency-modulated sounds
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Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Flying Insect Detection and Classification with Inexpensive Sensors
Published on: October 15, 2014
Ikuo Matsuo1, Takuma Takanashi2
1Department of Information Science, Tohoku Gakuin University, 2-1-1 Tenjinzawa, Izumi-ku, Sendai 981-3193, Japan matsuo@cs.tohoku-gakuin.ac.jp.
Abstract:
Using echolocation influenced by Doppler shift, bats can capture flying insects in real three-dimensional space. On the basis of this principle, a model that estimates object locations using frequency modulated (FM) sound was proposed. However, no investigation was conducted to verify whether the model can localize flying insects from their echoes. This study applied the model to estimate the range and direction of flying insects by extracting temporal changes from the time-frequency pattern and interaural range difference, respectively. The results obtained confirm that a living insect's position can be estimated using this model with echoes measured while emitting intermittent FM sounds.
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