London, November 16 (ANI): Scientists are trying to learn the complex flight dynamics of the dragonfly for future robots by attaching a small sensor to its body.
Dragonflies are winged insects that feed on smaller insects. They hunt mid-flight and the fastest of them are believed to fly at speeds of nearly 97 km per hour.
"Dragonfly wings almost swim through the air... They have many more degrees of freedom than an airplane's wing," New Scientist quoted electrical engineer Matt Reynolds from Duke University as saying.
Scientists like him at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute hope to understand the flight dynamics of the dragonfly to incorporate them into future robots and enable them to fly the same way.
That is where the sensor comes in. It is a small and lightweight chip that will be unobtrusive to a flying dragonfly as it transmits data to the scientists using a wi-fi system.
The chip will connect with individual neurons in the insect's nerve cords and will enable scientists to follow the signals from its eyes to brain.
Scientists will be able to study the corresponding actions to these signals from the time the dragonfly sights its prey till it captures it. (ANI)
|
|
Comments:
