Dynamics of escaping flight initiations of Drosophila melanogaster

• Published in: 2008 2nd IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics pp. 1 - 6
• Main Authors: Zabalax, F.A., Card, G.M., Fontaine, E.I., Murray, R.M., Dickinson, M.H.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01-10-2008
• Subjects: Aerodynamics; Aerospace control; Biological control systems; Data mining; Force control; Insects; Kinematics; Production; Velocity control
• ISBN: 9781424428823; 1424428823
• ISSN: 2155-1774; 2155-1782
• DOI: 10.1109/BIOROB.2008.4762921

We present a reconstruction of the dynamics of flight initiation from kinematic data extracted from high-speed video recordings of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The dichotomy observed in this insectpsilas flight initiation sequences, generated by the presence or absence of visual stimuli, clearly generates two contrasting sets of dynamics once the flies become airborne. By calculating reaction forces and moments using the unconstrained motion formulation for a rigid body, we assess the flypsilas responses amidst these two dynamic patterns as a step towards refining our understanding of insect flight control.