Monday, January 20, 2014

Moth drone stays rock steady in gale-force winds - tech - 16 January 2014 - New Scientist

Moth drone stays rock steady in gale-force winds - tech - 16 January 2014 - New Scientist


Published on Jan 16, 2014
By mimicking how a moth moves, a quadcopter can hover and fly even in high winds -- perfect for surveillance

Small drones find it difficult to fly in strong winds and cluttered environments. So Physical Sciences Inc (PSI) based in Andover, Massachusetts, in association with the US military, filmed hawk moths to see how they manage to stay aloft.

The firm used a motion-tracking system familiar to film-makers, attaching reflective beads to moth wings and recording the moth's flight via high-speed cameras. The moth's ability to react very quickly to disturbances in the air seems to be key to its success. While moths do collide with things, they can recover quickly. "Typically they recover stability in about one wing beat," says PSI's Thomas Vaneck.

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