Three biomimetic flight control sensors

Purpose - Insects depend on the spatial, temporal and spectral distribution of light in the environment for navigation, collision avoidance and flight control. The principles of insect vision have been gradually revealed over the course of decades by biological scientists. The purpose of this paper is to report on bioinspired implementations and flight tests of these sensors and reflexes on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The devices are used for the stabilization of UAVs in attitude, heading and position. The implementations were developed to test the hypothesis that current understanding of insect optical flight control systems is feasible in real systems. Design/methodology/approach - Design was based on behavioral and anatomical studies of insects. The approach taken was to test the designs in flight on a UAV. Findings - The research showed that stabilization in attitude, heading and position is possible using the developed sensors. Practical implications - Partial alternatives to magnetic, inertial and GPS sensing have been demonstrated. Optical flow and polarization compassing are particularly relevant to flight in urban environments and in planetary exploration. Originality/value - For the first time the use of multispectral horizon sensing, polarization compassing and optical flow-based heading control have been demonstrated in flight.