HONG KONG: Hawkmoths are able see in the dark, and now, researchers know how they do it. This ability allows them to track the movements of flowers blowing in the wind, even at night, as the insects hover in the air.
Manduca sexta, roughly the size of a hummingbird, were studied by researchers using infrared cameras as they traveled between mechanical flowers. As the team varied light conditions, they also altered the speed at which the artificial flowers swayed from side to side. They then recorded how well the proboscis (feeding probe) of the insects stayed within the target flower.
The moths are able to slow down their brains while seeking nectar, improving their eyesight under conditions of low visibility, the study found. While their minds are working on reduced speed, the creatures are also able to maintain rapid flapping of their wings and maintaining complex flight characteristics.
The mechanical flowers used in the study were created on 3D printers. Real flowers were studied in the wild to determine how much they moved from side to side, as well as typical velocities for the movements. Natural vegetation typically moved through no more than two oscillations a second, although investigators found they were capable of following speeds 10 times that rate.
Researchers believe this new investigation could help engineers to build a new generation of small aerial robots that could be used for surveillance, rescue operations or other purposes. The research was funded, in part, by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
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