3D Gas Sensing with Multiple Nano Aerial Vehicles: Interference Analysis, Algorithms and Experimental Validation

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Environmental Science
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Multi-robot systems enhance environmental mapping and monitoring efficiency.
• Gas sensing missions with multi-robot systems face challenges due to gas dispersion complexity.
• Previous research has not extensively explored multi-robot gas sensing applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the application of multi-robot systems for gas sensing.
• To analyze robot interference and its impact on sensing performance.
• To evaluate multi-robot strategies for gas source location.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a multi-robot system of rotary-winged nano aerial vehicles.
• Conducted qualitative and quantitative analysis of inter-robot interference.
• Deployed 3D gas sensing algorithms with varying coordination levels in a wind tunnel.

Main Results:

• Multi-robot gas sensing missions demonstrated robustness against interference and performance degradation.
• Interference between robots did not significantly compromise sensing capabilities.
• Multi-robot strategies proved competitive for gas source location under time constraints.

Conclusions:

• Multi-robot systems are viable for challenging gas sensing missions.
• Effective coordination strategies can mitigate interference issues.
• These systems offer efficient solutions for environmental monitoring and gas source identification.