Audio-based robot control from interchannel level difference and absolute sound energy

This paper is a follow-up way to our previous works regarding audio-based control, that is an alternative method for auditory-based robot tasks. Conversely to classic methods oriented towards sound source localization, audio-based control is a sensor-based framework that does not localize the sound source. Instead, auditory features are used as inputs of a closed-loop control scheme. The audio-based control method presented in this paper relies on the sound signal energy measured by two microphones. By combining the interchannel level difference to the acoustic absolute energy level, the control scheme allows positioning the robot with respect to the sound source at a given distance and orientation. Moreover this method has the benefit of a low computation cost, since it only relies on the signal energy measurement. Experimental results conducted on a mobile robot validate the relevance and the robustness of this approach in dynamic and real world conditions.