https://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/54307-products-of-tomorrow-1225-tb
Moth-Like Drone
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati are developing a drone with flapping wings that can locate and hover around a moving light like a moth to a flame. Moths have the incredible ability to hover in place or even fly backward. They automatically make fine adjustments to compensate for wind or obstacles to remain stationary or follow a moving object. Likewise, this mothlike drone makes fine adjustments to maintain a desired attitude and distance from a light, even when the light moves. The drone simultaneously measures the performance of whatever function it is programmed to optimize, like finding a light source, to correct its course in a constant feedback loop that allows for remarkably consistent and stable flight. This research is interesting not only for what it might mean for new autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles but also how these tiny insects manage their miraculous aerobatics with brains the size of a grain of pollen.
via NASA Tech Briefs https://ift.tt/NmSHu5G
December 1, 2025 at 10:36AM