Bumblebees minimize control challenges by combining active and passive modes in unsteady winds

• DOI: 10.1038/srep35043
• Publication Date: 2016-10-18T09:19:15Z
• Authors: Sridhar Ravi; Dmitry Kolomenskiy; Thomas Engels; Kai Schneider; Chun Wang; Jörn Sesterhenn; Hao Liu
• Keywords: Insect flight; Bumblebee

The natural wind environment that volant insects encounter is unsteady and highly complex, posing significant flight-control stability challenges. It critical to understand the strategies employ safely navigate in environments. We combined experiments on free flying bumblebees with high-fidelity numerical simulations lower-order modeling identify mechanics mediate insect flight winds. trained fly upwind towards an artificial flower a tunnel under steady von Kármán street formed wake of cylinder. Analysis revealed at lower frequencies both winds bees mediated lateral movement body roll - typical casting motion. Numerical bumblebee similar conditions permitted separation passive active components trajectories. Consequently, we derived simple mathematical models describe these two motion components. Comparison between free-flying live modeled novel mechanism enables passively ride out high-frequency perturbations while performing maneuvers frequencies. capacity maintaining by combining modes different timescales provides viable means for animals machines tackle challenges posed complex airflows.