Robust Sound Source Localization Using a Microphone Array on a Mobile Robot

The hearing sense on a mobile robot is important because it is omnidirectional and it does not require direct line-of-sight with the sound source. Such capabilities can nicely complement vision to help localize a person or an interesting event in the environment. To do so the robot auditory system must be able to work in noisy, unknown and diverse environmental conditions. In this paper we present a robust sound source localization method in three-dimensional space using an array of 8 microphones. The method is based on time delay of arrival estimation. Results show that a mobile robot can localize in real time different types of sound sources over a range of 3 meters and with a precision of 3 degrees.