Development of Distributed Acoustic Sensing for Environmental Monitoring and Hazard Detection on Robotic Platforms

This paper presents the development of a robot-oriented Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) system designed for environmental monitoring and hazard detection on ground robotic platforms. Unlike conventional DAS solutions primarily intended for stationary or quasi-stationary infrastructures, the proposed approach explicitly accounts for robot-induced mechanical vibrations, mobility constraints, and limited onboard resources. A dedicated anti-jitter signal processing pipeline combined with edge-based data processing is introduced to suppress motion-induced strain components while preserving weak external acoustic signals. The system integrates optical fiber deployment along the robot structure using flexible guides and vibration-isolated clamps, ensuring stable mechanical coupling under continuous motion. Experimental validation, including laboratory tests and preliminary outdoor field trials, demonstrates reliable detection of acoustic events in the 10–200 Hz frequency range, with reduced processing latency of 80–100 ms and a detection reliability of up to 95%. Comparative analysis with conventional sensors confirms the advantages of the proposed DAS-based approach in terms of sensitivity, spatial coverage, and robustness. The results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of DAS technology for real-time sensing applications on mobile robotic platforms.