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Flexible moths give better lift. New research shows that insect wings are not rigid when they flap.
Being able to better understand how nature outfits insects for flight will lend insight to the next generations of robots and help engineer the future of aeronatics.
University of Washington doctoral student Andrew Mountcastle used a technique to study how liquids travel to study how air flows over the wings of moths. He is the lead author of a paper in the journal Experiments in Fluids, co-authored with UW biology professor Thomas Daniel.
University of Michigan professor Wei Shyy and other university engineers have been studying bird and insect flight in order to build a better plane.
See the UM video about natural flyers.
