Ebook: Flying Insects and Robots

Flying insects are intelligent micromachines capable of exquisite maneuvers in unpredictable environments. Understanding these systems advances our knowledge of flight control, sensor suites, and unsteady aerodynamics, which is of crucial interest to engineers developing intelligent flying robots or micro air vehicles (MAVs). The insights we gain when synthesizing bioinspired systems can in turn benefit the fields of neurophysiology, ethology and zoology by providing real-life tests of the proposed models.

This book was written by biologists and engineers leading the research in this crossdisciplinary field. It examines all aspects of the mechanics, technology and intelligence of insects and insectoids. After introductory-level overviews of flight control in insects, dedicated chapters focus on the development of autonomous flying systems using biological principles to sense their surroundings and autonomously navigate. A significant part of the book is dedicated to the mechanics and control of flapping wings both in insects and artificial systems. Finally hybrid locomotion, energy harvesting and manufacturing of small flying robots are covered. A particular feature of the book is the depth on realization topics such as control engineering, electronics, mechanics, optics, robotics and manufacturing.

This book will be of interest to academic and industrial researchers engaged with theory and engineering in the domains of aerial robotics, artificial intelligence, and entomology.

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Flying insects are intelligent micromachines capable of exquisite maneuvers in unpredictable environments. Understanding these systems advances our knowledge of flight control, sensor suites, and unsteady aerodynamics, which is of crucial interest to engineers developing intelligent flying robots or micro air vehicles (MAVs). The insights we gain when synthesizing bioinspired systems can in turn benefit the fields of neurophysiology, ethology and zoology by providing real-life tests of the proposed models.

This book was written by biologists and engineers leading the research in this crossdisciplinary field. It examines all aspects of the mechanics, technology and intelligence of insects and insectoids. After introductory-level overviews of flight control in insects, dedicated chapters focus on the development of autonomous flying systems using biological principles to sense their surroundings and autonomously navigate. A significant part of the book is dedicated to the mechanics and control of flapping wings both in insects and artificial systems. Finally hybrid locomotion, energy harvesting and manufacturing of small flying robots are covered. A particular feature of the book is the depth on realization topics such as control engineering, electronics, mechanics, optics, robotics and manufacturing.

This book will be of interest to academic and industrial researchers engaged with theory and engineering in the domains of aerial robotics, artificial intelligence, and entomology.

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Flying insects are intelligent micromachines capable of exquisite maneuvers in unpredictable environments. Understanding these systems advances our knowledge of flight control, sensor suites, and unsteady aerodynamics, which is of crucial interest to engineers developing intelligent flying robots or micro air vehicles (MAVs). The insights we gain when synthesizing bioinspired systems can in turn benefit the fields of neurophysiology, ethology and zoology by providing real-life tests of the proposed models.

This book was written by biologists and engineers leading the research in this crossdisciplinary field. It examines all aspects of the mechanics, technology and intelligence of insects and insectoids. After introductory-level overviews of flight control in insects, dedicated chapters focus on the development of autonomous flying systems using biological principles to sense their surroundings and autonomously navigate. A significant part of the book is dedicated to the mechanics and control of flapping wings both in insects and artificial systems. Finally hybrid locomotion, energy harvesting and manufacturing of small flying robots are covered. A particular feature of the book is the depth on realization topics such as control engineering, electronics, mechanics, optics, robotics and manufacturing.

This book will be of interest to academic and industrial researchers engaged with theory and engineering in the domains of aerial robotics, artificial intelligence, and entomology.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xii
Experimental Approaches Toward a Functional Understanding of Insect Flight Control....Pages 1-13
From Visual Guidance in Flying Insects to Autonomous Aerial Vehicles....Pages 15-28
Optic Flow Based Autopilots: Speed Control and Obstacle Avoidance....Pages 29-50
Active Vision in Blowflies: Strategies and Mechanisms of Spatial Orientation....Pages 51-61
Wide-Field Integration Methods for Visuomotor Control....Pages 63-71
Optic Flow to Steer and Avoid Collisions in 3D....Pages 73-86
Visual Homing in Insects and Robots....Pages 87-100
Motion Detection Chips for Robotic Platforms....Pages 101-114
Insect-Inspired Odometry by Optic Flow Recorded with Optical Mouse Chips....Pages 115-126
Microoptical Artificial Compound Eyes....Pages 127-142
Flexible Wings and Fluid-Structure Interactions for Micro-Air Vehicles....Pages 143-157
Flow Control Using Flapping Wings for an Efficient Low-Speed Micro-Air Vehicle....Pages 159-169
A Passively Stable Hovering Flapping Micro-Air Vehicle....Pages 171-184
The Scalable Design of Flapping Micro-Air Vehicles Inspired by Insect Flight....Pages 185-205
Springy Shells, Pliant Plates and Minimal Motors: Abstracting the Insect Thorax to Drive a Micro-Air Vehicle....Pages 207-217
Challenges for 100 Milligram Flapping Flight....Pages 219-229
The Limits of Turning Control in Flying Insects....Pages 231-246
A Miniature Vehicle with Extended Aerial and Terrestrial Mobility....Pages 247-270
Towards a Self-Deploying and Gliding Robot....Pages 271-284
Solar-Powered Micro-air Vehicles and Challenges in Downscaling....Pages 285-297
Technology and Fabrication of Ultralight Micro-Aerial Vehicles....Pages 299-316

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Flying insects are intelligent micromachines capable of exquisite maneuvers in unpredictable environments. Understanding these systems advances our knowledge of flight control, sensor suites, and unsteady aerodynamics, which is of crucial interest to engineers developing intelligent flying robots or micro air vehicles (MAVs). The insights we gain when synthesizing bioinspired systems can in turn benefit the fields of neurophysiology, ethology and zoology by providing real-life tests of the proposed models.

This book was written by biologists and engineers leading the research in this crossdisciplinary field. It examines all aspects of the mechanics, technology and intelligence of insects and insectoids. After introductory-level overviews of flight control in insects, dedicated chapters focus on the development of autonomous flying systems using biological principles to sense their surroundings and autonomously navigate. A significant part of the book is dedicated to the mechanics and control of flapping wings both in insects and artificial systems. Finally hybrid locomotion, energy harvesting and manufacturing of small flying robots are covered. A particular feature of the book is the depth on realization topics such as control engineering, electronics, mechanics, optics, robotics and manufacturing.

This book will be of interest to academic and industrial researchers engaged with theory and engineering in the domains of aerial robotics, artificial intelligence, and entomology.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xii
Experimental Approaches Toward a Functional Understanding of Insect Flight Control....Pages 1-13
From Visual Guidance in Flying Insects to Autonomous Aerial Vehicles....Pages 15-28
Optic Flow Based Autopilots: Speed Control and Obstacle Avoidance....Pages 29-50
Active Vision in Blowflies: Strategies and Mechanisms of Spatial Orientation....Pages 51-61
Wide-Field Integration Methods for Visuomotor Control....Pages 63-71
Optic Flow to Steer and Avoid Collisions in 3D....Pages 73-86
Visual Homing in Insects and Robots....Pages 87-100
Motion Detection Chips for Robotic Platforms....Pages 101-114
Insect-Inspired Odometry by Optic Flow Recorded with Optical Mouse Chips....Pages 115-126
Microoptical Artificial Compound Eyes....Pages 127-142
Flexible Wings and Fluid-Structure Interactions for Micro-Air Vehicles....Pages 143-157
Flow Control Using Flapping Wings for an Efficient Low-Speed Micro-Air Vehicle....Pages 159-169
A Passively Stable Hovering Flapping Micro-Air Vehicle....Pages 171-184
The Scalable Design of Flapping Micro-Air Vehicles Inspired by Insect Flight....Pages 185-205
Springy Shells, Pliant Plates and Minimal Motors: Abstracting the Insect Thorax to Drive a Micro-Air Vehicle....Pages 207-217
Challenges for 100 Milligram Flapping Flight....Pages 219-229
The Limits of Turning Control in Flying Insects....Pages 231-246
A Miniature Vehicle with Extended Aerial and Terrestrial Mobility....Pages 247-270
Towards a Self-Deploying and Gliding Robot....Pages 271-284
Solar-Powered Micro-air Vehicles and Challenges in Downscaling....Pages 285-297
Technology and Fabrication of Ultralight Micro-Aerial Vehicles....Pages 299-316
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