Biological algorithms of sound localization may be useful in studying acoustic orientation of robots. One of us (Lakemeyer) collaborated in the software design of a mobile robot that can give guided tours through exhibitions, among other things. We now want to equip this robot with a sound localization and a speech recognition system. The Jeffress model of binaural interaction contains delay lines and coincidence detection. It is realized in the barn owl. We have implemented a Jeffress-like model on a computer and have tested it with noise and speech signals (Calmes et al., in preparation). This model works pretty well even in cluttered surroundings. Currently we are implementing the software on the robot.

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