bbc.com
March 26, 2014
"Scientists Film Inside a Flying Insect"
British and Swiss scientists, in a combined effort, have
managed to film inside an insect’s body as it flies. As a result of these
snapshots, they have prepared a 3D reconstruction of how these blowflies use
their muscles and hinges to fly. Researchers hope to use this knowledge to
design micro-air vehicles. Dr. Simon Walker of the University of Oxford used
extremely fast, intense X-rays to record the blowflies’ rapid movements. These
insects are known to beat their wings fifty times in the time that it takes a
human to blink once. In order to conduct this experiment, the scientists
tethered the tiny fly to a vertical mount, which was rotated as the insect was
X-rayed. They also had a small air blower around the insect to continually
stimulate the fly to proceed beating its wings as they filmed inside its body.
One of the most amazing discoveries was how small the steering muscles were and
the rapid changes it made to the direction of the flight. Scientists hope to
design a micro-air vehicle that would replicate the insect’s flight. These tiny,
flying vehicles could be used to navigate through the smallest crevices to
locate survivors and aid in rescue efforts during natural disasters.
Although the idea seems so simple and "old-fashioned;" basing designs of airplanes and aeronautics off living winged creatures was am aspect not many had looked at. It is truly brilliant to do so because these animals have defied gravity with their unique, unmatched anatomical features and capabilities. The sheer perplexity in an animals figure and evolution is a monstrous thought, but to be able to fully harness the information needed - like the scientists Jacqueline mentioned were able to do - can possible revolutionize flight.
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