Japanese researchers believe robots of the future could be equipped with a sense of smell, with studies of the flightless Bombyx Mori silkworm moth holding the key to potential applications in search and rescue drones and a broader expansion of current audio-visual sensors.

Scientists from Chiba University, Shinshu University and the University of Tokyo uncovered a potential connection between the way the moths pin down the source of odours and means to equip robots with the same ability.

They researched the ways male moths flap their wings to manipulate airflow and so boost their ability to detect distant pheromones by guiding them to odour sensors in their antennae.

In a statement, the researchers explained Bombyx Mori “have been used as model insects for the study of their odour source localisation”, but there was previously a gap in quantitative understanding of the effect of their movements.

The scientists addressed the gap using high-speed cameras to “capture and reconstruct the motion and geometry”, so enabling computational analysis.

A key discovery was the moths’ body movement while fanning for pheromone sources, an element the scientists stated has led to deeper research into equipping drones with insect-like antenna which could ultimately sit alongside current audio and visual sensors on future machines.

Lead scientist Dr Toshiyuki Nakata from Chiba University acknowledged the research into equipping machines with a sense of smell is “still in its early steps”, but said the studies “could help in developing robots that efficiently search for odour sources in disaster situations”.