AI and robotics demystify the workings of a fly's wing

Machine learning and robotics have shed new light on one of the most sophisticated skeletal structures in the animal kingdom: the insect wing hinge.

Unlike birds or bats, which evolved wings by adapting existing limbs, insect wings are wholly original appendages, and understanding how the complex hinge that links the insect wing to its body works has been a challenge.

But now a team of researchers have combined cutting edge imaging, machine learning and robotics to build a model that is shedding new light on the structure.

[highvoltage]

top notch production quality, especially visualizing the wing hinge shows just how insanely complicated even the smallest creatures are

[myhandle__]

Appreciating nature for publishing videos too rather than research paper alone.

[gabedarrett]

Genetic engineering, neural networks (AI), and aerospace engineering are what's required to solve this extremely challenging problem. Humans can do anything when they work together!

[Gailon]

casually making muscles of flies glow. You know, as you do :D

[aquaticape]

Fantastic and amazing- insect flight should be seen as the genuinely original flight system— with birds and bats a crude subset.

[StainlessHelena]

This is beyond amazing! I wonder if there will ever be a functional manned aircraft with insect-inspired wings.

[sjkba]

That is such incredible engineering! Insane performance per neuron!

[urimtefiki]

I used to watch insects for half hour or more, many insects different ones.
Since my childhood I used to play with them especially bees, butterflies.

[kellymoses]

genetically engineering flys to be able to record muscle activation during flight, then recording 3D motion of the wings during flight, and then training a neural network based on the data is amazing.

[footfault]

Perhaps a poster child of a modern era. Technology behind the scene stays behind, but explicit inevitably.

[ralphmck]

Excellent presentation, only spoiled by the absurd suggestion that this incredible design is some chance evolutionary result!
This is so obviously Intelligent Design, the possibility of it happening by chance in far less than zero.

[footfault]

An impessive anatomical details in motion! Beauty means this. Technology behind the scene can't be missed, either.

[johncollins]

I'd like models of their flight over different periods of time -- 5 secs, 10 secs, etc. -- maybe in a perspex cube.

[ozloop]

Does an insect wing on its own provide any lift like an aircraft wing provide lift as it’s been pushed through the air insect wings that lift characteristic because of its shape?

[dimzen]

Construction of fly wing system well known for 50 years and easily can be found in biological textbooks.

All we need is understand how it can be implemented in modern technology. I've spended 15 years on it and only now reached the final row. But it will takes at least 10 years more to get industry ready result.

[Arctdus]

"so they made insects, that flouriscate when muscles are contracted"
normal monday evening activity xD

[HILLBILLYMORON]

All that about how flies fly without a single mention of halteres.

[johncollins]

Are there other animals that are named by their method of locomotion?

[takudzwamashamba]

God, the best designer to ever do it.

[anon]

they genetically engineered insects to glow when they move their muscles? just as a part of the process?

That's crazy.