Bio-inspired polarized skylight-based navigation sensors: a review.

Salmah B Karman,Ille C Gebeshuber,S Zaleha M Diah

doi:10.3390/s121114232

Salmah B Karman, Ille C Gebeshuber + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/s121114232

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Abstract

Animal senses cover a broad range of signal types and signal bandwidths and have inspired various sensors and bioinstrumentation devices for biological and medical applications. Insects, such as desert ants and honeybees, for example, utilize polarized skylight pattern-based information in their navigation activities. They reliably return to their nests and hives from places many kilometers away. The insect navigation system involves the dorsal rim area in their compound eyes and the corresponding polarization sensitive neurons in the brain. The dorsal rim area is equipped with photoreceptors, which have orthogonally arranged small hair-like structures termed microvilli. These are the specialized sensors for the detection of polarized skylight patterns (e-vector orientation). Various research groups have been working on the development of novel navigation systems inspired by polarized skylight-based navigation in animals. Their major contributions are critically reviewed. One focus of current research activities is on imitating the integration path mechanism in desert ants. The potential for simple, high performance miniaturized bioinstrumentation that can assist people in navigation will be explored.

Highlights

Human and animals navigate for various needs—for finding food, for social reasons, for communication and others
Current navigation devices are mostly dependent on the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), the more fully operational system for global positioning compared to others
The insect navigation system, especially that of the desert ant, Cataglyphis, bees, locusts and crickets have offered useful insights into the development of polarization navigation sensors that have been utilized to assist the navigation of mobile robots. By further developing this robot polarization navigation sensor, it is possible that a new kind of human sense, a

Summary

Introduction

Human and animals navigate for various needs—for finding food, for social reasons, for communication and others. Current navigation devices are mostly dependent on the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), the more fully operational system for global positioning compared to others. The variability of function and integration of the new generation of GNSS has increased the market demand for related products [1]. Its applications may be limited by the low precision of the signal under certain conditions such as in urban areas and in situations of intermittent coverage. The system is always at risk of being shut down during a conflict. A new system should be developed to overcome these limitations

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