Insect Antennae-Based Sensor for Simultaneous Airflow and Odor Measurement with Odor Concentration Estimation

Abstract

Several insect species are known to sense both airflow and olfactory cues through their antennae, making them compelling biological models for dual-function sensing. Mimicking this biological capability, we present a biohybrid sensor that enables simultaneous detection of both airflow speed and odor cues, as well as estimation of odor concentrations. The sensor features a cantilever structure integrated with a laser-induced graphene (LIG) strain gauge for airflow sensing. Insect antennae are mounted at the tip to allow odor cue detection via electroantennography (EAG) technique, while also contributing to airflow sensitivity through mechanical interaction. Experimental results demonstrated that the sensor responded independently to airflow and odor stimuli. Moreover, a neural network model trained with both LIG and EAG inputs accurately estimated odor concentrations under varying airflow speeds, outperforming a model using EAG input alone. The proposed sensor offers simultaneous dual-modal sensing with low latency. We anticipate that it will contribute to odor source localization in mobile robots, where simultaneous and rapid detection of airflow and odor is essential.