Roll Control in Fruit Flies
Tsevi Beatus, John M. Guckenheimer, Itai Cohen

TL;DR
This study investigates how fruit flies rapidly correct body roll perturbations during flight, revealing a linear PI control mechanism that enables one of the fastest reflexes in animals.
Contribution
It demonstrates that flies use a linear PI controller to achieve quick and effective roll correction during flight perturbations.
Findings
Flies correct up to 100° roll within ~30 ms.
The response latency is approximately 5 ms.
Roll correction is governed by a linear PI controller.
Abstract
Due to aerodynamic instabilities, stabilizing flapping flight requires ever-present fast corrective actions. Here we investigate how flies control body roll angle, their most susceptible degree of freedom. We glue a magnet to each fly, apply a short magnetic pulse that rolls it in mid-air, and film the corrective maneuver. Flies correct perturbations of up to within by applying a stroke-amplitude asymmetry that is well described by a linear PI controller. The response latency is , making the roll correction reflex one of the fastest in the animal kingdom.
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Taxonomy
TopicsBiomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms · Fish biology, ecology, and behavior
