Fruit flies modulate passive wing pitching to generate in-flight turns

Attila J. Bergou, Leif Ristroph, John Guckenheimer, Itai Cohen, Z. Jane Wang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Flying insects execute aerial maneuvers through subtle manipulations of their wing motions. Here, we measure the free-flight kinematics of fruit flies and determine how they modulate their wing pitching to induce sharp turns. By analyzing the torques these insects exert to pitch their wings, we infer that the wing hinge acts as a torsional spring that passively resists the wing's tendency to flip in response to aerodynamic and inertial forces. To turn, the insects asymmetrically change the spring rest angles to generate asymmetric rowing motions of their wings. Thus, insects can generate these maneuvers using only a slight active actuation that biases their wing motion.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number148101
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume104
Issue number14
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 5 2010

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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