Artificial Olfaction

Artificial olfaction involves the use of gas-sensing technology and intelligent algorithms to detect, identify, or localize volatile compounds in the air. This includes areas of general interest such as air quality evaluation, or more specific applications such as the detection and localization of toxic or greenhouse gas emissions such as methane, CO2, or sulfide derivatives. This “ability” is increasingly being integrated into mobile robots to both enhance their ability to interact with and understand their environment by detecting and processing gaseous substances, as well as to enhance the intelligent automation of monitoring processes that require the detection of volatile substances.

Artificial olfaction has a wide range of applications across multiple sectors. Our group focuses on the integration of this challenging and promising research topic with intelligent mobile robots, giving rise to applications like Environmental Monitoring, for detecting and tracking pollutants, harmful gases, and chemical leaks to ensure air quality and public safety, or Security, identifying and localizing hazardous substances for security purposes (like natural gas leaks within a house).

Numerous problems are caused by uncontrolled or illicit emissions of polluting gases that contribute to global warming or even cause direct harm to human health. Due to the abundance of pollution’s sources, many governments around the world have recently invested in implementing systems for the measurement and control of such emissions, including mobile robotic agents.

Research Areas:

Mobile olfactory robots can be used in several and relevant application areas where a better understanding of gas distribution is needed. Concretely, our research focuses on four main areas around this topic:


Related Projects:

Publications on this Topic:

Journals (20)

2026

J. Monroy, P. Ojeda, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

A Physics-Informed Gaussian Markov Random Field Framework for Indoor Airflow Field Estimation

Building and Environment, vol. 303, pp. 114957, 2026. Q1 · T1

2025

P. Ojeda, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Gaden-RT: A Real Time and Interactive Gas Dispersion Simulator for Mobile Robotics

SoftwareX, vol. 32, pp. 102388, 2025, ISSN: 2352-7110. Q3 · T2

2024

P. Ojeda, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Robotic Gas Source Localization with Probabilistic Mapping and Online Dispersion Simulation

IEEE Transactions on Robotics (TRO), vol. 40, pp. 3551-3564, 2024. Q1 · T1

2023

A. Gongora, J. Monroy, F. Rahbar, C. Ercolani, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez, A. Martinoli

Information-Driven Gas Distribution Mapping for Autonomous Mobile Robots

MDPI Sensors. Special Issue Robotics for Environment Sensing, vol. 23, no. 12, 2023. Q2 · T2

P. Ojeda, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

VGR Dataset: A CFD-based Gas Dispersion Dataset for Mobile Robotic Olfaction

Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems, 2023. Q2 · T2

2021

P. Ojeda, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

A Simulation Framework for the Integration of Artificial Olfaction into Multi-Sensor Mobile Robots

MDPI Sensors, vol. 21, no. 6, pp. 2041, 2021, ISSN: 1424-8220. Q2 · T1

P. Ojeda, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Information-driven Gas Source Localization Exploiting Gas and Wind Local Measurements for Autonomous Mobile Robots

IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RAL), vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 1320-1326, 2021. Q2 · T2

2020

A. Gongora, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Joint Estimation of Gas & Wind Maps for Fast-Response Applications

Applied Mathematical Modelling, 2020, ISSN: 0307-904X. Q1 · T1

2019

J. Monroy, J.R. Ruiz-Sarmiento, F.A. Moreno, C. Galindo, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Olfaction, Vision, and Semantics for Mobile Robots. Results of the IRO Project

Sensors, vol. 19, no. 16: 3488, 2019. Q1 · T1

2018

A. Gongora, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

An Electronic Architecture for Multi-Purpose Artificial Noses

Journal of Sensors, vol. 2018, 2018. Q2 · T2

J. Monroy, J.R. Ruiz-Sarmiento, F.A. Moreno, F. Melendez-Fernandez, C. Galindo, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

A Semantic-Based Gas Source Localization with a Mobile Robot Combining Vision and Chemical Sensing

Sensors, vol. 18, no. 12, 2018, ISSN: 1424-8220. Q1 · T1

2017

J. Monroy, V. Hernandez-Bennetts, H. Fan, A. Lilienthal, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

GADEN: A 3D Gas Dispersion Simulator for Mobile Robot Olfaction in Realistic Environments

MDPI Sensors, vol. 17, no. 7: 1479, pp. 1–16, 2017, ISSN: 1424-8220. Q2 · T1

J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Gas Classification in Motion: An Experimental Analysis

Sensors & Actuators: B. Chemical, vol. 240, pp. 1205–1215, 2017, ISSN: 0925-4005. Q1 · T1

2016

J. Monroy, E.J. Palomo, E. López-Rubio, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Continuous Chemical Classification in Uncontrolled Environments with Sliding Windows

Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, vol. 158, pp. 117–129, 2016, ISSN: 0169-7439. Q1 · T1

F.M. Schleif, B. Hammer, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez, J.L. Blanco, M. Biehl, N. Petkov

Odor recognition in robotics applications by discriminative time-series modeling

Pattern Analysis and Applications, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 207–220, 2016, ISSN: 1433-755X. Q3 · T2

J. Monroy, J.L. Blanco, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Time-Variant Gas Distribution Mapping with Obstacle Information

Autonomous Robots, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 1–16, 2016, ISSN: 1573-7527. Q2 · T2

2013

J. Monroy, A. Lilienthal, J.L. Blanco, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez, M. Trincavelli

Probabilistic Gas Quantification with MOX Sensors in Open Sampling Systems - A Gaussian Process Approach

Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, vol. 188, no. 0, pp. 298–312, 2013, ISSN: 0925-4005. Q1 · T1

2012

J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez, J.L. Blanco

Overcoming the slow recovery of MOX gas sensors through a system modeling approach

Sensors, vol. 12, no. 10, pp. 13664–13680, 2012, ISSN: 1424-8220. Q1 · T1

2011

J. Gonzalez-Jimenez, J. Monroy, J.L. Blanco

The Multi-Chamber Electronic Nose--An Improved Olfaction Sensor for Mobile Robotics

Sensors, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 6145–6164, 2011, ISSN: 1424-8220. Q1 · T1

2009

A. Loufti, S. Coradeschi, A. Lilienthal, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Gas Distribution Mapping of Multiple Odour Sources using a Mobile Robot

Robotica, vol. 27, pp. 311–319, 2009.

Book Chapters (4)

2018

C. Sánchez-Garrido, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Probabilistic Estimation of the Gas Source Location in Indoor Environments by Combining Gas and Wind Observations

Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications (FAIA), IOS Press, pp. 110–121, IOS Press, 2018.

A. Gongora, D. Fernandez-Chaves, A. Jaenal, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Toward the Generation of Smell Maps: Matching Electro-Chemical Sensor Information with Human Odor Perception

Petkov, Nicolai; Strisciuglio, Nicola; Travieso-González, Carlos M. (Ed.): Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications (FAIA), IOS Press, pp. 134–145, IOS Press, 2018.

J. Monroy, J.R. Ruiz-Sarmiento, F.A. Moreno, C. Galindo, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Towards a Semantic Gas Source Localization under Uncertainty

Information Processing and Management of Uncertainty in Knowledge-Based Systems. Applications, pp. 504–516, Springer, Cham, 2018, ISBN: 978-3-319-91479-4.

J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Towards Odor-Sensitive Mobile Robots

Electronic Nose Technologies and Advances in Machine Olfaction, IGI Global, pp. 244–263, IGI Global, 2018, ISBN: 9781522538622.

Conferences (27)

2023

J. Monroy, P. Ojeda, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

A Feasibility Study of a Leader-Follower Multi-Robot Formation for TDLAS Assisted Methane Detection in Open Spaces

Iberian Robotics Conference (ROBOT), Coimbra (Portugal), 2023.

2022

P. Ojeda, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Experimental Analysis of the Impact of Sensor Response Time on Robotic Gas Source Localization

ISOCS/IEEE International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN), pp. 1-3, IEEE, Aveiro (Portugal), 2022.

P. Ojeda, J.R. Ruiz-Sarmiento, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

GadenTools: A Toolkit for Testing and Simulating Robotic Olfaction Tasks With Jupyter Notebook Support

Fifth Iberian Robotics Conference (ROBOT2022), Zaragoza, Spain, 2022.

P. Ojeda, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

On Gas Source Declaration Methods for Single-Robot Search

ISOCS/IEEE International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN), pp. 1-3, IEEE, Aveiro (Portugal), 2022.

2020

P. Ojeda, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

An Evaluation of Gas Source Localization Algorithms for Mobile Robots

International Conference on Applications of Intelligent Systems (APPIS), pp. 1-6, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, 2020.

2019

D. Hüllmann, P.P. Neumann, J. Monroy, A. Lilienthal

A Realistic Remote Gas Sensor Model for Three-Dimensional Olfaction Simulations

ISOCS/IEEE International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN), Fukuoka (Japan), 2019.

J. Monroy, J.R. Ruiz-Sarmiento, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

An Evaluation of Plume Tracking as a Strategy for Gas Source Localization in Turbulent Wind Flows

ISOCS/IEEE International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN), Fukuoka (Japan), 2019.

J. Monroy, J.R. Ruiz-Sarmiento, F.A. Moreno, C. Galindo, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Improvement of the Sensory and Autonomous Capability of Robots Through Olfaction: the IRO Project

Spanish Robotics Conference, Alicante (Spain), 2019.

A. Gongora, A. Jaenal, D. Fernandez-Chaves, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Urban Monitoring of Unpleasant Odors with a Handheld Electronic Nose

ISOCS/IEEE International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN), Fukuoka (Japan), 2019.

2018

C. Sánchez-Garrido, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Probabilistic Localization of Gas Emission Areas with a Mobile Robot in Indoor Environments

International Conference on Applications of Intelligent Systems (APPIS), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain), 2018.

A. Gongora, D. Fernandez-Chaves, A. Jaenal, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Toward the Generation of Smell Maps: Matching Electro-Chemical Sensor Information with Human Odor Perception

International Conference on Applications of Intelligent Systems (APPIS), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain), 2018.

2017

A. Gongora, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Gas Source Localization Strategies for Teleoperated Mobile Robots. An Experimental Analysis

2017 European Conference on Mobile Robots (ECMR), Paris (France), 2017.

J. Monroy, F. Melendez-Fernandez, A. Gongora, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Integrating Olfaction in a Robotic Telepresence Loop

2017 26th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN), pp. 1012-1017, IEEE Lisbon (Portugal), 2017.

A. Gongora, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

A Robotic Experiment Toward Understanding Human Gas-Source Localization Strategies

International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN), pp. 1–3, Montreal (Canada), 2017.

J. Monroy, M. Jaimez, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Online Estimation of 2D Wind Maps for Olfactory Robots

International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN), pp. 1–3, Montreal (Canada), 2017.

2015

J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Odor Classification in Motion: How Fast Can the E-nose Go?

16th International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN), Dijon, Burgundy, France, 2015.

J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Real-Time Odor Classification Through Sequential Bayesian Filtering

16th International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN), Dijon, Burgundy, France, 2015.

2014

C. Sánchez-Garrido, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

A Configurable Smart E-Nose for Spatio-Temporal Olfactory Analysis

IEEE Sensors, pp. 1968–1971, Valencia, Spain, 2014.

J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez, C. Sánchez-Garrido

Monitoring Household Garbage Odors in Urban Areas Through Distribution Maps

IEEE Sensors, pp. 1364–1367, Valencia, Spain, 2014.

2013

J.L. Blanco, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez, A. Lilienthal

A Kalman Filter Based Approach to Probabilistic Gas Distribution Mapping

Proceedings of the 28th Annual ACM Symposium on Applied Computing, pp. 217–222, Coimbra, Portugal, 2013, ISBN: 978-1-4503-1656-9.

J. Monroy, J.L. Blanco, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

An Open Source Framework for Simulating Mobile Robotics Olfaction (Abstract only)

15th International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN), Daegu, South Korea, 2013.

J. Gonzalez-Jimenez, J. Monroy, J.L. Blanco

Robots that can smell: motivation and problems (Abstract only)

15th International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN), Daegu, South Korea, 2013.

2012

J. Monroy, A. Lilienthal, J.L. Blanco, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez, M. Trincavelli

Calibration of MOX gas sensors in open sampling systems based on Gaussian Processes

IEEE Sensors, pp. 1–4, Taipei, Taiwan, 2012, ISSN: 1930-0395.

2011

J. Gonzalez-Jimenez, J. Monroy, F. García, J.L. Blanco

The Multi-Chamber Electronic Nose (MCE-nose)

IEEE International Conference on Mechatronics, Istambul, Turkey, 2011.

2010

J. Gonzalez-Jimenez, J. Monroy, F. García, J.L. Blanco

Design of a novel MOS-based electronic nose for changing gas concentrations (accepted)

1st INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON APPLIED BIONICS AND BIOMECHANICS (ICABB 2010), Forthcoming.

2007

A. Lilienthal, A. Loufti, J.L. Blanco, C. Galindo, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

A Rao-Blackwellisation Approach to GDM SLAM - Integrating SLAM and Gas Distribution Mapping

3rd European Conference on Mobile Robots, Freiburg (Germany), 2007.

A. Lilienthal, A. Loufti, J.L. Blanco, C. Galindo, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Integrating SLAM into Gas Distribution Mapping

Proceedings of ICRA Workshop on Robotic Olfaction – Towards Real Applications, Rome (Italy), 2007.

National conferences (2)

2024

P. Ojeda, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Localización de emisiones de metano combinando un sensor TDLAS y un robot móvil

Jornadas Automática CEA, Málaga, 2024.

2017

C. Sánchez-Garrido, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Estimación Probabilı́stica de Áreas de Emisión de Gases con un Robot Móvil Mediante la Integración Temporal de Observaciones de Gas y Viento

Actas de las XXXVIII Jornadas de Automática, 2017.

Patents (2)

2015

C. Sánchez-Garrido, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez, J. Monroy

Sistema electrónico para la medición de gases

2015.

2012

J. Gonzalez-Jimenez, J. Monroy, J.L. Blanco, F. García

Nariz electrónica de alta frecuencia de sensado y procedimiento para determinar la composición cuantitativa y cualitativa de un gas o mezcla de gases mediante la misma

2012, (National Patent - ES2380472 A1).

PhD Theses (3)

2025

P. Ojeda, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Probabilistic Methods for Robotic Gas Source Localization

Universidad de Málaga, 2025.

2021

A. Gongora, J. Monroy, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Enhancement of the Sensory Capabilities of Mobile Robots through Artificial Olfaction

Universidad de Málaga, 2021.

2013

J. Monroy, J.L. Blanco, J. Gonzalez-Jimenez

Advances in Gas Sensing and Mapping for Mobile Robotics

PhD. in Electrical Engineering, University of Malaga, 2013.

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