Chiroptera: A Biomimicry Inspired Approach to Simultaneous Localization and Mapping for Autonomous Vehicles

Abstract

Biomimicry is a technique for solving complex technical challenges by applying biologically inspired processes. When considering flight through challenging conditions, bats (order chiroptera) have demonstrated a keen ability to use non-visual senses to navigate surroundings, avoiding obstacles, and create a mental map of the environment in which they live and operate.

Unmanned aerial drones are controlled in flight by an intelligent agent, be it a human pilot or artificial intelligence (AI) based autopilot. Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is a technique for building a map of an environment while keeping track of a vehicle’s position within that environment. This thesis shows that is possible to use bats as the inspiration for the development of an AI autopilot, Chiroptera, that can conduct SLAM operations to navigate a drone through an unknown environment. A bespoke 3D drone flight simulator, Bat Cave, will be developed concurrently within which Chiroptera’s SLAM capabilities can be tested and its behavior refined.