Often times, engineers get inspiration from Mother Nature; Velcro, the electrical grid and the Shinkansen Bullet Train are just some examples of inventors taking a cue from what's around them. But that’s not the case with the gyroscope, a device used to measure orientation.
Up until recently the closest thing that resembled gyroscopes were sensors called halteres, club-looking structures that are found in insects such as flies. Halteres help insects navigate and perform aerial acrobatics by offering them important details during flight.
A natural gyroscope
It’s no secret that insects are quite skilled at moving with impeccable precision. In fact, a number of them fly more accurately than our most advanced engineered aircraft. Researchers at the University of Washington discovered that an insect’s wings might also function as a gyroscope of sorts. This new discovery could offer aerospace engineers more insights into natural flight.
The study, titled “A New Twist on Gyroscopic Sensing: Body Rotations Lead to Torsion in Flapping, Flexing Insect Wings,” was recently published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface. The study’s goal was to find out if an insect’s wings are capable of sensing their body’s rotations during flight. Understanding this would give insight into how insects are able to move rapidly with impeccable accuracy.
What researchers discovered about insects
“I was surprised at the results,” said study co-author and graduate student Brad Dickerson. “This idea of wings being gyroscopes has existed for a long time, but this paper is the first to really address how that would be possible.”
The first step involved developing a computational model of a rotating plate that could both flap and flex. Then the research team created a robotic model consisting of plastic sheeting, two motors and a flapping wing.
When rotated and flapped, the researchers discovered the model wing twisted, which in turn altered the wing’s strain patterns. They believe this strain might cause sensors embedded in the wing to activate and function similar to a gyroscope.
Implication for the engineering world
So what does this mean for the engineering world? Knowledge gained from this study could offer insights that help create better wings for helicopters, turbines, nano drones and micro air vehicles.
Next up: the team hopes to conduct more research into the relationship between an animal’s wing and its sensing abilities.
"We don't understand yet what those principles might be," said Eberle, a mechanical engineering graduate student and corresponding author for the study. “These are 10-year visions.”