Self-Organized Sensor Eggs for Decentralized Localization and Sensing on Vulcano Island - A Glimpse into Future Space Exploration with Swarms

Robotic swarms or portable sensor networks are emerging technologies for sensing physical processes that are spatially distributed- and temporally dynamic, both on Earth and in future Moon/Mars exploration missions. We develop a portable network composed of a multitude of self-organized 'sensor eggs'. These eggs are equipped with ultra-wideband (UWB) transceivers, providing precise time and position information without additional infrastructures like Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs). Each egg is additionally equipped with environmental sensors, for example, a Sulfur dioxide gas sensor to explore volcanic activity. We use a real time decentralized particle filter (DPF) to estimate the a-posteriori probability density functions (PDFs) of the egg positions. These PDFs are then used in a static state binary Bayes filter for estimating the gas sources with potentially complex structures such as cracks on the volcano surface. The proposed sensor network is verified with an in-field experiment at La Fossa volcano on the island of Vulcano, Italy, in 2023.