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Building an Enhanced Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Insect Flight
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Published on: March 10, 2021

Bat wing sensors support flight control.

Susanne Sterbing-D'Angelo1, Mohit Chadha, Chen Chiu

  • 1Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. ssterbin@umd.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|June 22, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Bat wing hairs provide crucial aerodynamic feedback for flight control. Removing these hairs impairs bats

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Area of Science:

  • Zoology
  • Biomechanics
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Bats exhibit exceptional flight capabilities, including complex aerial maneuvers.
  • Bat wings possess specialized, hair-covered membranes crucial for flight.
  • The sensory function of these wing hairs in flight control remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of tactile receptors on bat wing hairs in sensorimotor flight control.
  • To determine if wing hair stimulation provides aerodynamic feedback during flight.

Main Methods:

  • Recording neuronal activity in the primary somatosensory cortex of bats.
  • Stimulating bat wing hairs with controlled low-speed airflow.
  • Observing flight behavior in obstacle avoidance tasks after depilation of wing hairs.

Main Results:

  • Neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex showed directional sensitivity to airflow stimulation of wing hairs.
  • Bat wing hairs preferentially responded to reversed airflow, indicative of stall conditions.
  • Depilation of wing hairs reduced aerial maneuverability, leading to decreased turning angles and increased flight speed.

Conclusions:

  • Bat wing hairs function as an array of sensors, providing critical aerodynamic feedback for flight control.
  • This sensory input aids in monitoring flight speed and detecting stall conditions.
  • The tactile feedback from wing hairs is essential for maintaining bats' remarkable aerial agility.