Drones inspired by insects could keep flying when damaged
Staff Writer | January 6, 2017
To uncover the secret of birds and bees, biologists placed flies with a clipped wing into a wind tunnel and analysed their movements using high-speed cameras.Article continues below
They used this data to run simulations of the flies’ wing motion.
They then programmed a robotic fly to mimic the insects with different levels of wing damage, which allowed them to explore movements beyond the range of a real fly’s normal behaviour.
“We cannot ask the fly, ‘can you flap your wings a little bit faster or in a different way’,” says Florian Muijres at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. “But we can ask that to the robot.”
With a wingspan of 50 centimetres, the robotic fly is larger than a fruit fly, which means the team also had to scale up its movements – and the “air” it moves in.
To keep the same ratio between the size of the wing and the viscosity of the medium around it, they replaced the air with mineral oil. “It sounds a bit weird,” says Muijres, but, “as a result, the aerodynamics around the wing are the same.”
This means the robot can’t actually fly – to do so, it would need air as viscous as mineral oil. However, the lessons gleaned from its oily swims could help other robots with flapping wings overcome damage.
Muijres and his team produced an algorithm based on their experiments to help drone developers keep their creations going after an accident.
It’s not only fruit flies that have lessons for drones: finding out how bumblebees fly through turbulent skies could improve their stability.
“One reason we were interested in bumblebees is they’re the tankers of the flying insect world,” says James Crall at Harvard University. “They’re pretty incredible flyers in the natural environment.” ■ What to read next
Francine will continue to weaken today as its low pressure center meanders east across northern Arkansas.
Latest U.S. drillers add oil and gas rigs for first time in five weeks to 590
Iowa Governor leads trade mission to India
Minnesota Governor Walz announces new program to support new farmers
Nestlé Waters to pay €2 million fine to resolve French mineral water case
5 arrested for corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina highway construction
U.S.: Flooding threat and extreme heat
European aviation regulator orders Airbus A350-1000 inspections after Cathay Pacific incident
U.S.: Heat, humidity, severe storms
Bulgaria: EPPO seizes assets in investigation into €2.6 million fraud involving water supply
UK secures $10.5B Amazon investment
Slovak FM: Russian oil supply to Slovakia secured
U.S. oil rigs number fell by 1
Massachusetts and Rhode Island announce largest offshore wind selection in New England history
Jordan, UAE sign $2.3bln railway deal
Trending Now
Netherlands expands export control measure for advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment
Minnesota Governor announces new funding to expand biofuel availability
Texas to invest record $148 billion in transportation infrastructure
Minister Boissonnault reducing number of temporary foreign workers in Canada
Canada imposes 100 percent tariffs on Chinese EVs
Today We Recommend Highlights
Siemens to build first U.S. high-speed rail manufacturing facility in New York, creating 300 jobs
Czech government and ČEZ in security agreement for development of small and medium-sized modular reactors
Lidl lays cornerstone for logistics base in Hungary, will create 400+ jobs
Epiphone inspired by Gibson Custom Collection Jimi Hendrix “Love Drops” Flying V available worldwide
Huawei and partners successfully test new wild fire detection solution in Greece
MainStreaming appoints Ian Franklyn as CRO
APO Group appoints Bas Wijne as CEO
Rikard Lundqvist new CEO of Optronic
Gabriel Millan joins Mars as CFO for petcare business
Applied Materials appoints Florent Ducrot as head of European operations
Kuwait reports $5.2 bln budget deficit in FY 2023-24
Eurozone reports modest Q1 GDP growth, stable annual inflation
Italy sees faster economic growth in Q1
Slovenia's economy expected to grow 0.9 pct in Q1
Italy faces deficit infringement procedure
Lockton revenue $3.55 billion
Motorcar Parts of America Q4 sales $189.5 million
Limoneira Q2 revenue $44.6 million
Lululemon athletica Q1 revenue increased 10% to $2.2 billion
PVH Q1 GAAP EBIT $205 million
Niger set to monetize massive gas reserves through Saharan natural gas pipeline
Putting the brakes on EV folly that choked the market
Oil discovery in Kavango Basin may mean huge benefits for Namibians
Cape Town and Dubai battle over Africa's energy future
Is America going to lose its superpower status?
Nebraska takes action to address lab-grown meat sales
Russia secures right to export fish to Mexico
Hong Kong suspends import of poultry meat and products from areas in U.S., France and Poland
Panama opens market to Brazilian pork
New Zealand temporarily suspends all Australian imported tomatoes
Some organizations may need to expand their hierarchical structures earlier than others
Study finds there's right way and wrong way to deliver negative feedback in workplace
Allyship is critical and its needs appreciation
Generating 'buzz' about new products can influence their success
Hiring 'problem directors' can knock up to 64% off firm's value
SEC charges John Deere with FCPA violations for subsidiary’s role in Thai bribery scheme
AG Bonta secures $3.9 million settlement with cryptocurrency company Robinhood
Italy issues $6.4 million fine over Chinese cars badged as Italian
EU Commission fines Mondelēz €337.5 million for cross-border trade restrictions
HSBC pays penalties for alleged breaches of Consumer Data Right rules
Magazine
Morocco’s first Radisson branded hotel opens in Casablanca
Buna channels, an unreal and beautiful part of Bosnia and Herzegovina
JW Marriott unveils Mindful Haven with opening of JW Marriott Hotel Nairobi
Sotheby's Sports Week returns with fantastic artifacts
Red Roof properties open in Michigan
2025 Chevrolet Equinox stands apart with fresh looks and capability
Hill Helicopters HX50, luxury in the sky
Opel Movano becomes fully equipped camper van
Porsche Panamera, new hybrid variants
Dodge Charger, 670 horsepower of electric
Embellish your home with PVC panels
You'll have to hurry if you want one of 20 new Louis Vuitton watches
Luxury duvet looks good, fells good and keeps you healthy
Vacheron Constantin, watches for life and more
Schüller kitchens, where functionality marries design
reMarkable 2, monochrome tablet for your thoughts and your eyes
OnePlus Ace 3V, first with Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3
ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, flagship with a reason
Samsung Galaxy S24 is photography powerhouse
Casette tapes are making a big comeback, and so are portable players
First mpox vaccines arrive in Africa
WHO declares mpox public health emergency, Sweden and Pakistan confirm first case outside Africa
Kenya confirms its first mpox case as virus spreads in Africa
Brazil reports world's first deaths from Oropouche fever
New Alzheimer's treatment approved by FDA
India to build first phase of its own space station by 2028
Roscosmos chief approves schedule of creating Russian orbital station through 2033
Potentially habitable 'exo-Venus' with Earth-like temperature discovered
Rare species of wild bees discovered in Berlin
SLAC completes construction of largest digital camera ever built for astronomy