Page 228 - The Microworld Miracle

ments on insects' flying

abilities:
Insects include some of the
most versatile and maneu-
verable of all flying machines.

… some insects-through a combi-
nation of low mass, sophisticated neurosensory
systems and complex musculature-display astonishing aerobatic
feats. Houseflies, for example, can decelerate from fast flight, hover,
turn in their own length, fly upside down, loop, roll and land on a
ceiling-all in a fraction of a second… The better we understand the
functioning of insect wings, the more subtle and beautiful their de-
signs appear. Earlier comparisons with sails now seem quite inade-
quate. The wings emerge as a family of flexible airfoils that are in a

sense intermediate between structures and mechanisms, as these
terms are understood by engineers. Structures are traditionally de-
THE MICROWORLD MIRACLE both in one, using components with a wide range of elastic proper-
signed to deform as little as possible; mechanisms are designed to
move component parts in predictable ways. Insect wings combine

ties, elegantly assembled to allow appropriate deformations in re-
sponse to appropriate forces and to make the best possible use of
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the air. They have few if any technological parallels-yet. .

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