Computational biological fluid dynamics: digitizing and visualizing animal swimming and flying

Area of Science:

• Fluid Dynamics
• Biomechanics
• Computational Science

Background:

• Biological fluid dynamics in swimming and flying involve complex, large-scale vortex flows.
• Conventional theories often rely on potential flow formulations, limiting qualitative analysis.
• Understanding the energetics of locomotion requires advanced modeling techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a new paradigm: simulation-based biological fluid dynamics.
• To develop an integrated computational system for digitizing and visualizing biological locomotion.
• To provide a baseline for future research in computational biomechanics.

Main Methods:

• Computational mechanical modeling of biological fluid dynamics.
• Faithful reconstruction of morphology and realistic representation of kinematics.
• An integrated system comprising morphological, kinematic, CFD, and post-processing subsystems.

Main Results:

• Demonstration of a realistic model for insect flapping flight.
• Extensive study on Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) applications.
• Successful digitization and visualization of complex fluid dynamics in locomotion.

Conclusions:

• Simulation-based biological fluid dynamics offers a powerful new approach.
• The integrated computational system provides a robust framework for analysis.
• This methodology advances the understanding of power and energetics in biological flight and swimming.