Event:

A biomimetic navigation model is described which solves a simultaneous localization and mapping task with a biomimetic sonar mounted on a mobile robot to address two related questions.First, can robotic sonar sensing lead to intelligent interactions with complex environments? Second, can we model sonar based spatial orientation and the construction of spatial maps by bats? To address these questions the mapping module of RatSLAM, a previously published navigation system based on computational models of the rodent hippocampus, is adapted. From the performance of a robotic implementation operating in the real world we conclude that this system allows an autonomous agent to map unmodified(office) environments efficiently and consistently. Furthermore, theseresults also show that successful navigation does not require the readings of the biomimetic sonar to be interpreted in terms of individual objects/landmarks in the environment. We argue that the system has applications in robotics as well as in the field of biology as a simple, first order, model for sonar based spatial orientation and map building.