Controlling roll perturbations in fruit flies

Tsevi Beatus; John M Guckenheimer; Itai Cohen

doi:10.1098/rsif.2015.0075

Controlling roll perturbations in fruit flies

J R Soc Interface. 2015 Apr 6;12(105):20150075. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2015.0075.

Authors

Tsevi Beatus¹, John M Guckenheimer², Itai Cohen³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA tsevi.beatus@cornell.edu.
² Department of Mathematics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
³ Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.

Abstract

Owing to aerodynamic instabilities, stable flapping flight requires ever-present fast corrective actions. Here, we investigate how flies control perturbations along their body roll angle, which is unstable and their most sensitive degree of freedom. We glue a magnet to each fly and apply a short magnetic pulse that rolls it in mid-air. Fast video shows flies correct perturbations up to 100° within 30 ± 7 ms by applying a stroke-amplitude asymmetry that is well described by a linear proportional-integral controller. For more aggressive perturbations, we show evidence for nonlinear and hierarchical control mechanisms. Flies respond to roll perturbations within 5 ms, making this correction reflex one of the fastest in the animal kingdom.

Keywords: biolocomotion; flight control; fruit fly; insect flight.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Animals
Biomechanical Phenomena
Drosophila melanogaster / physiology*
Flight, Animal / physiology*
Time Factors
Video Recording
Wings, Animal / physiology*