News Release

'Robat' uses sound to navigate and map unique environments

New robot mimics bats' ability to employ sonar to navigate its surroundings, Tel Aviv University researchers say

Peer-Reviewed Publication

American Friends of Tel Aviv University

Robat

image: The Robat is a fully-autonomous bat-like terrestrial robot that uses echolocation to navigate its environment. view more 

Credit: American Friends of Tel Aviv University/Itamar Eliakim.

The "Robat" is a fully autonomous terrestrial robot with bat-like qualities that uses echolocation to move through novel environments while mapping them based only on sound. It was developed at Tel Aviv University.

Bats use echolocation to map novel environments, navigating them by emitting sound then extracting information from the echoes reflected by objects in their surroundings. Many theories have been proposed to explain how bats harness sonar in order to navigate, but few attempts have been made to build a robot that mimics a bat's abilities.

A TAU study about the invention was published today in PLOS Computational Biology.

TAU graduate student Itamar Eliakim developed a robot that uses a biological bat-like approach, emitting sound and analyzing the returning echoes to generate a map of space. Prof. Yossi Yovel of TAU's Department of Zoology and Dr. Gabor Kosa of TAU's School of Mechanical Engineering serve as Mr. Eliakim's advisors.

"Our Robat is the first fully autonomous, bat-like biorobot that moves through a novel environment while mapping it solely based on echo information. This information delineates the borders of objects and the free paths between them," says Eliakim. "We've been able to demonstrate the great potential of using sound in future robotic applications."

The Robat is equipped with an ultrasonic speaker that produces frequency-modulated chirps at a rate typically used by bats, as well as two ultrasonic microphones that serve as the robot's ears. It classifies the borders and shapes of the objects it encounters with an artificial neural network, creating a rich, accurate map of its environment while avoiding obstacles. For example, when reaching a dead end, the robot uses its classification abilities to determine whether it is blocked by a wall or by a plant through which it could pass.

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Funding for the research was provided partially by the Israel Ministry of Science, Technology and Space.

See the Robat in action in this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzGGuzvYSH8.

American Friends of Tel Aviv University supports Israel's most influential, comprehensive and sought-after center of higher learning, Tel Aviv University (TAU). TAU is recognized and celebrated internationally for creating an innovative, entrepreneurial culture on campus that generates inventions, startups and economic development in Israel. TAU is ranked ninth in the world, and first in Israel, for producing start-up founders of billion-dollar companies, an achievement that surpassed several Ivy League universities. To date, 2,500 US patents have been filed by Tel Aviv University researchers -- ranking TAU #1 in Israel, #10 outside of the US and #43 in the world.


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