Physicists have developed a controlled behavioral experiment in which a dragonfly is thrown upside down.
The researchers concluded that, unlike humans, who have an inertial sense, dragonflies useTo assess the upright position, two of its visual systems are a pair of large compound eyes and three simple eyes called ocelli.An experiment in which dragonflies were blinded confirmed this hypothesis.
Scientists believe that with the help of dragonfly visionunderstand that they are falling. This visual cue triggers a series of reflexes that send neural signals to the four wings, which are controlled by a set of rectus muscles. Asymmetrical wing movements restore the position of the insect in space. The researchers note that dragonflies can flip 180 degrees with three or four wing beats in just 200 ms.
Image: Z. Jane Wang, Cornell University
Researchers believe that the flight control technology used by dragonflies couldassist in the development of small unmanned aerial vehicles and robots.
Flight control on a scale of tens or hundredsmilliseconds is hard to design. Small flying machines already know how to take off and turn, but it is still difficult for them to stay in the air: when they tilt, it is difficult to correct. These animals can, among other things, help us solve such problems.
Jane Wang, professor of physics, mechanics and aerospace engineering at Cornell University and head of research
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