Flying insects are intelligent micromachines capable of exquisite maneuvers in unpredictable environments. Understanding these systems advances our knowledge of flight control, sensor suites, and unsteady aerodynamics, which is of crucial interest to engineers developing intelligent flying robots or micro air vehicles (MAVs). The insights we gain when synthesizing bioinspired systems can in turn benefit the fields of neurophysiology, ethology and zoology by providing real-life tests of the proposed models.

This book was written by biologists and engineers leading the research in this crossdisciplinary field. It examines all aspects of the mechanics, technology and intelligence of insects and insectoids. After introductory-level overviews of flight control in insects, dedicated chapters focus on the development of autonomous flying systems using biological principles to sense their surroundings and autonomously navigate. A significant part of the book is dedicated to the mechanics and control of flapping wings both in insects and artificial systems. Finally hybrid locomotion, energy harvesting and manufacturing of small flying robots are covered. A particular feature of the book is the depth on realization topics such as control engineering, electronics, mechanics, optics, robotics and manufacturing.

This book will be of interest to academic and industrial researchers engaged with theory and engineering in the domains of aerial robotics, artificial intelligence, and entomology.

Experimental Approaches Toward a Functional Understanding of Insect Flight Control

From Visual Guidance in Flying Insects to Autonomous Aerial Vehicles
Optic Flow Based Autopilots: Speed Control and Obstacle Avoidance
Active Vision in Blowflies: Strategies and Mechanisms of Spatial Orientation
Wide-Field Integration Methods for Visuomotor Control
Optic Flow to Steer and Avoid Collisions in 3D
Visual Homing in Insects and Robots
Motion Detection Chips for Robotic Platforms
Insect-Inspired Odometry by Optic Flow Recorded with Optical Mouse Chips
Microoptical Artificial Compound Eyes
Flexible Wings and Fluid-Structure Interactions for Micro-Air Vehicles
Flow Control Using Flapping Wings for an Efficient Low-Speed Micro-Air Vehicle
A Passively Stable Hovering Flapping Micro-Air Vehicle
The Scalable Design of Flapping Micro-Air Vehicles Inspired by Insect Flight
Springy Shells, Pliant Plates and Minimal Motors: Abstracting the Insect Thorax to Drive a Micro-Air Vehicle
Challenges for 100 Milligram Flapping Flight
The Limits of Turning Control in Flying Insects
A Miniature Vehicle with Extended Aerial and Terrestrial Mobility
Towards a Self-Deploying and Gliding Robot
Solar-Powered Micro-air Vehicles and Challenges in Downscaling
Technology and Fabrication of Ultralight Micro-Aerial Vehicles.