Jane Wang
Cornell University
Insects' aerial acrobatics result from the concerted efforts of their brains, flight muscles, and flapping wings. To understand insect flight, we started from the outer scale, analyzing the unsteady aerodynamics of flapping flight, and are gradually working toward the inner scale, deducing control algorithms. In this approach, the physics of flight informs us about the
internal control scheme for a specific behavior.
I will first describe the aerodynamic tricks that dragonflies employ to hover and fly efficiently. I will then describe how fruit flies recover from aerial stumbles, and how they make subtle wing movements to induce sharp turns in tens of wing beats, or 40-80ms.
Friday, April 30th at 4:00 PM
Room L211, Technological Institute
Refreshments are served at 3:30 PM
