Echolocation as an Acoustic Form of Relative Positioning

To introduce order in the movement of many objects, they need to avoid collisions with their neighbours by knowing their position and reacting to it. This paper proposes using sound localisation, which can be used for short distances because of its limitations. The study is focused on implementing small distance echolocation for the relative positioning of objects by comparing the time difference of arrival to microphones used by the same object. Unlike previous works that rely on communication or external infrastructure this method allows each autonomous system to localise neighbour using only passive sound signals and on-board microphone array. The research aims to develop a navigation system for mobile objects moving in a swarm without communication between the objects. The study develops an alternative for GPS and visual navigation with limitations in specific environments. The software created showed the effectiveness and weakness of echolocation as the choice for different environments, increasing the need to use more types of navigation for drone swarms. This work contributes and early-stage lightweight approach to relative positioning in UAV swarms and provides insight into integrating acoustic sensing into hybrid navigation systems.