This paper attempts to provide a state-of-the-art of sound source localization in Robotics. Noticeably, this context raises original constraints-e.g. embeddability, real time, broadband environments, noise and reverberation-which are seldom simultaneously taken into account in Acoustics or Signal Processing. A comprehensive review is proposed of recent robotics achievements, be they binaural or rooted in Array Processing techniques. The connections are highlighted with the underlying theory as well as with elements of physiology and neurology of human hearing.

The MUSIC algorithm (MUltiple SIgnal Classification) is a well-known high-resolution method to sound source localization. However, as it is essentially narrowband, several extensions can be envisaged when dealing with broadband sources like human voice. This paper presents such extensions and proposes a comparative study w.r.t. specific robotics constraints. An online beamspace MUSIC method, together with a recently developed beamforming scheme, are shown to constitute a mathematically sound and potentially efficient solution.