Odor Source Localization on a Nano Quadcopter

Abstract

We describe a nano-UAV system for odor source localization in a windless indoor environment. The central part of the system is a small drone (Crazyflie) that has been augmented with a commercial solid state gas sensor. The drone acquires data from onboard gas and optic flow sensors and is controlled by a laptop. We used the sensor to characterize an odor plume both manually and deployed on the Crazyflie. An odor source localization method is described and implemented on the drone. The proposed system uses low cost sensors and is small enough to comfortably and safely fly indoors.