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Biomechanics of bumblebee flight:  Flapping with flexible, damage-prone airfoils

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Thursday, October 27, 2022 1pm to 2pm

Fashion by Marina Debris

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Thursday, October 27, 2022 1pm to 2pm

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Registration link: harvard.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIucOyhpjwtGNY0HNZcKZFYOOgZ0HoNTt3p

Flying insects such as bees flap their ultra-light wings hundreds of times per second to achieve extraordinary flight performance that we cannot yet replicate in micro aerial vehicles. In addition, flying insects maintain this high level of performance in complex, real-world environments, where they must contend with unpredictable air flows, maneuver through dynamic obstacles, and endure cumulative wing damage resulting from frequent collisions. Despite intensive research on the kinematic and aerodynamic mechanisms that insects employ during flight, our understanding of one fundamental aspect of flapping flight - the airfoils themselves - lags far behind. Insect wings bend and twist passively during flight, and their complex structural design reflects 400 million of years of adaptive evolution. I will discuss my lab’s ongoing research investigating the effects of insect wing flexibility on multiple aspects of flight performance, including maximum force production, maneuverability and stability, through manipulations of wing stiffness in live bees. I will also discuss how collisions lead to cumulative wing damage, and describe our research investigating how flexible wing design helps mitigate wing damage, and how asymmetric vs. symmetric damage affects acceleration capacity, stability, and maneuverability during flight.

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