High-speed cameras reveal insect flight control


H


ow insects use visual information to control flight is being studied with high-speed cameras by a team at Lund


University in Sweden. Te scientists experimented on various


insects, including bumblebees, butterflies, beetles and moths, to see how they use visual cues to avoid obstacles and navigate through unpredictable environments. Te studies show how insects extract and


apply visual information to control flight, and how biologically inspired technologies could be applied in autonomous flying vehicles. Te experimental setup in the lab consisted


of a wind tunnel with high-speed cameras mounted above. Two Mikrotron MotionBlitz EoSens Mini1 and two MotionBlitz EoSens Cube6 cameras were used. One of the studies investigated how quickly


bumblebees detect and respond to changes. Bumblebees were trained to fly through a tunnel consisting of parallel vertical walls.


Te position of the bee and the orientation


of the long axis of the body were determined using an automated tracking program. Te results reveal bumblebees detect


environmental changes at a minimum viewing angle of 23 to 30 degrees, reacting well before entering the new environment. ‘Te Mikrotron cameras are ideal for


us, because we can synchronise them,’ said Emily Baird, assistant professor at Lund University. ‘Tis enables us to reconstruct insect flight trajectories in three dimensions. Te trajectories are then used for computer modelling and simulation.’ Baird also took Mikrotron cameras to


Panama to investigate the flight of a sweat bee, which flies exclusively at night, foraging shortly before sunrise and shortly aſter sunset. Te videos were recorded in darkness using


infrared illumination. Te MotionBlitz EoSens Cube6 was set at 50 frames per second and at full resolution of 1,280 x 1,024 pixels.


Sofradir and Ulis merge to streamline operations


Sofradir and subsidiary Ulis have merged to become one company, Lynred. It was created to


streamline operations across Sofradir’s and Ulis’s range of infrared products. The aim is to accelerate delivery of new technologies and shorten time-to-market of products. Jean-François Delepau,


chairman of Lynred, said: ‘Lynred gives us more punching weight in R&D and


increased visibility in the infrared ecosystem.’ The combined entity has 1,000 staff and its infrared products serve the aerospace, defence, industrial and consumer markets. It has recently made a €150m investment over five years in the Nano2022 project to develop the next generation of infrared detectors. These will be designed to address trends


in autonomous systems for smart buildings (workspace management, energy savings), road safety and in- cabin comfort of vehicles. Developments also include


the very large dimension infrared detectors needed for space and astronomy observations, as well as compact and light infrared detectors that can be used in portable devices and on drones.


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