A research team led by the University of Washington has developed Smellicopter: an autonomous drone that uses a live antenna from a moth to navigate toward smells. Smellicopter can also sense and avoid obstacles as it travels through the air. The team published these results Oct. 1 in the journal IOP Bioinspiration & Biomimetics. The team used antennae from the Manduca sexta hawkmoth for Smellicopter. By adding tiny wires into either end of the antenna, the researchers were able to connect it to an electrical circuit and measure the average signal from all of the cells in the antenna. The team then compared it to a typical human-made sensor by placing both at one end of a wind tunnel and wafting smells that both sensors would respond to: a floral scent and ethanol, a type of alcohol. The antenna reacted more quickly and took less time to recover between puffs. Smellicopter can also avoid obstacles with the help of four infrared sensors that let it measure what’s around it 10 times each second.
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