[Pollinator] Bumblebee flight inspires 'bad weather robot' design

[Sunny Boyd]

Watch the video footage here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24149440

 

 

 

 


Bumblebee flight inspires 'bad weather robot' design


By Victoria GillScience reporter, BBC News

Scientists are studying the flight of the bumblebee in an effort to work out
how the insects manage to remain steady in adverse weather conditions.

Dr Sridhar Ravi, from Harvard University, filmed bumblebees as they flew in
a wind tunnel.

This enabled Dr Ravi and his team to control the airflow the bees had to
contend with.

The researchers say their study could aid the design of "micro air vehicles"
that remain stable in bad weather.

They explained
<http://jeb.biologists.org/content/early/2013/09/05/jeb.090845.abstract?cite
d-by=yes&legid=jexbio;jeb.090845v1> in a paper in the Journal of
Experimental Biology that they had studied bumblebees because they were
"all-weather foragers".

Dr Ravi told BBC News: "As we have all experienced, the wind speed and
direction outdoors can be very variable, [so] maintaining stable flight can
be extremely challenging.

"The best micro air vehicles [with a wingspan of less than 25cm (10in)]
available today struggle to fly stably when there is even in a light breeze.

"Yet, insects seem to be capable of flying even in extreme wind conditions."

Using a wind tunnel allowed the researchers to recreate these conditions.

They filmed the bees using high-speed cameras in order to replay their
flight in very slow motion and discover how the insects adjusted their
flight according to the airflow.

This footage revealed that the bees reduced their speed in unsteady winds,
which seemed to allow them to expend more energy correcting their flight
path.

"The bumblebees also seemed to be more susceptible to disturbances that
pushed them sideways as opposed to up and down," explained Dr Ravi.

"The bees rolled considerably to change course and correct for the
disturbances induced by the wind."

The scientist said that a better understanding of how natural flyers
contended with turbulent wind would help "immensely" in the design of micro
air vehicles that flew in adverse weather.

He added: "We are currently conducting more experiments including flying
other insects in similar wind conditions and identifying the influence of
pollen and/or honey on the flight stability in the bees."

 

 

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