Biologically Inspired Autonomous Agent Navigation Using an Integrated Polarization Analyzing CMOS Image Sensor

The navigational strategies of insects using skylight polarization are interesting for applications in autonomous agent navigation because they rely on very little information for navigation. A polarization navigation sensor using the Stokes parameters to determine the orientation is presented. The working principle of the sensor is based on egocentric navigation predominant in insects. The Stokes parameters computed from the measured intensities using a metallic wire grid micro-polarizer are used to retrieve positional information. The computation of the Stokes parameters is simplified to allow for a future on-chip computational algorithm implementation, which would result in highly miniaturized navigational sensors. The image sensor consist of an array of 128x128 pixels, occupies an area of 5x4mm2 and it has been designed and fabricated in a 180nm CMOS process. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.