Unpredictable air movements have proved to be a problem in previous studies investigating robot communication bymeans of airborne pheromone chemicals. The project described in this paper investigates the use of air vortex rings as a means ofcarrying pheromone chemicals between transmitting and receiving robots. Sensitivity to chemicals including pheromonesreleased by conspecifics is essential for many aspects of an insect’s life. They assist in finding food, locating a mate, avoidingdanger and help coordinate the activities of social insects. In the future, autonomous robots will be challenged by many situationssimilar to those that face insects and other simple creatures. Chemical communication may prove useful for these robots aswell. This paper describes the equipment developed for generating and detecting vortex rings. Results of experiments involvinglocation and tracking of a sequence of pheromone vortex rings are also presented.
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