Visual motion sensing and flight path control in flies

Abstract

Flight in insects results from a feedback control loop that turns sensory information at high speed into locomotor commands. Although vision-mediated flight is considered a key factor for understanding navigation and guidance, there is a continuing debate about the exact role of the insect's compound eye for stability and maneuverability. This chapter focuses on visual motion detection in flies, highlighting the way in which these insects cope with pertur bations of their visual environment. Numerical models are used to predict the precision of the fly's motor system required for heading stability from the dynamic properties of the sensory organs. Such information allows a better understanding of sensorimotor control strategies in flying insects, and is also of interest for engineers aiming to improve the performance of future generation biomimetic micro air vehicles based on nature-inspired control algorithms.