Agile Robust Autonomy: Inspired by Connecting Natural Flight and Biological Sensors

Understanding the mechanics of insect flight could help improve the agility, autonomy, robustness and integrated sensing and processing of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Air Force Research Laboratory, Elgin Air Force Base, Florida

The goal of this research was to understand insect flight for purposes of improving agility, autonomy, robustness, and integrated sensing and processing of unmanned aerial vehicles. This goal was approached using a comparative methodology in order to understand general principles of insect flight across diverse species; understand environmental variables that impact natural flight of insects; understand how insects can recover from flight perturbations; and understand the connection between flight, sensor capability, neural processing, and muscular control.

Insects are existence proofs for agile, robust, autonomous flight that minimizes size, weight, and power requirements, aspects that are desirable for human-engineered systems. To learn design principles for improved sensors and guidance/control algorithms, AFRL studies insect sensors and flight. The current research effort attempts to connect the environmental information with insect flight and relate that to insect sensors and processing. The goal is to understand insect flight for purposes of improving agility, autonomy, robustness, and integrated sensing and processing of unmanned aerial vehicles.