Abstract
This review of literature on Biophysics of Insect Flight can broadly be divided into four subdivisions. Early experimental investigations on wingbeat frequency and related parameters using simple mechanical, optical and electrical devices were carried out during 1934–1955. Advanced flight techniques for finding wingbeat frequency, wing mutilations, vortex theory, wing kinematics and detailed lift enhancing mechanisms were developed during 1956–1984. During the period of 1985–2008, studies on power requirements of a few insects have been analyzed. Shyy et al. (Prog Aerosp Sci 46(7):284–327, 2010) have discussed progress in the aerodynamics and aeroelasticity at low Re. As Re increases, velocity also increases. Recently, researchers are exploring the possibility of designing the Biomimicking MAVs based on the principles of insect flight. We may be able to design the MAV of Insect size in a decade or so.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Magnan, A. (1934). Law Locomotion Chez Lessanimacs. 1 Le Vol. Des insectes Paris, Herman.
Chadwick, L. E. (1939). Some factors which affect the rate of movement of the wings in Drosophila. Physiological Zoology, 12(2), 151–160.
Pringle, J. W. S. (1957). Insect flight. Cambridge University Press.
Osborne, M. F. M. (1951). Aerodynamics of flapping flight with application to insects. Journal of Experimental Biology, 28(2), 221–245.
Roeder, K. D. (1951). Orthopteran flight. Biology Bulletin (Woods Hole), 100, 95–106
Sotavalta, O. (1952). The essential factors regulating the wing-stroke frequency of insects in wing mutilation and wing loading experiments at Sub-atmospheric pressure. Annalea Zoologici Societatis Vanamo, 15, 1–67.
Chadwick, L. E. (1953). Aerodynamics and flight metabolism. In K. D. Roeder (Ed.), Insect physiology. New York: John Wiley.
Sotavalta, O. (1953). Recordings of high wing-stroke and thoracic vibration frequency in some midges. Biological Bulletin, 439–444.
Sotavalta, O. (1954). On the fuel consumption of the honey bee (Apismellifica L.). In flight experiments. Annales Zoologicae Societatis Zoologicae-Botanicae Fennvanamo, 16, 1–27.
Weis-Fogh, T., & Jensen, M. (1956). Biology and physics of locust flight. I. basic principles in insect flight. a critical review. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 239(667), 415–458.
Greenwalt, C. H. (1960). The wings of insects and birds as mechanical oscillators. Proceedings American Philosophical Society, 104, 605.
Sotavalta, O. (1963). The flight sounds of insects. Acoustic Behavior of Animals, 374–389.
Anderson, S. O., & Weis-Fogh. (1964). ‘Resilin’ in advances in insect.
Chari (2014). Bio-aerodynamics of Avian Flight. Banglore, India: NDRF.
Bennett, L. (1966). Insect aerodynamics:Vertical sustaining force in near-hovering flight. Science, 152, 1263–1266.
Vogel, S. (1966). Flight in Drosophila-1, Flight performance of tethered flies. Journal of Experimental Biology, 44, 567–578.
Pennycuick, C. J. (1968). Power requirements for horizontal flight in the pigeon. Columba. Livia Journal Experimental Biology, 49, 527.
Crawford, F. S. (1971). Comments on: The physics and physiology of insect flight. American Journal of Physics, 39, 584.
Weis-Fogh, T. (1972). Energetics of hovering flight in humming birds and in Drosophila. Journal of Experimental Biology, 56–79
Weis-Fogh, T. (1973). Quick estimates of flight fitness in hovering animals, including novel mechanisms for lift production. Journal of Experimental Biology, 59(1), 169–-230.
Lighthill, M. J. (1973). On the Weis-Fogh mechanism of lift generation. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 60(01), 1–17.
Bennett, M. R. (1973). An electrophysiological analysis of the uptake of noradrenaline at sympathetic nerve terminals. The Journal of Physiology, 229(2), 533–546.
Puranik, P. G., Chari, N., & Sukhdev, R. D. (1973). New methods for measuring lift and wingbeat frequency in insect flight. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, 11, 579–580.
Nachtigall, W. (1974). Biological mechanisms of attachment.
Norberg, R. Å. (1975). Hovering flight of the dragonfly Aeschna juncea L., kinematics and aerodynamics. In Swimming and flying in nature (pp. 763–781). Springer US.
Rainey, R. C. (1976). Flight behaviour and features of the atmospheric environment. In Symposia of the royal entomological Society of London.
Norberg, U. M. (1976). Aerodynamics of hovering flight in the long-eared bat Plecotus auritus. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 65(2), 459–470.
Pringle, J. W. S. (1976). The muscle and sense organs involved in insect flight, 3–15, Insect flight. In R. C. Rainey (Ed.). Oxford and London: Blackwell Scientific Publication.
Puranik, P. G., & Ahmed, A. (1976). Fourier analysis of the flight-sound of the pentatomid bug tessaratoma javanica Thunberg & the pressure pattern of its wings. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology.
Ahmed, A. (1978). Studies on bioacoustics and aerodynamics of fliers. Ph.D. thesis, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India.
Weis-Fogh, T., & Alexander, R. M. (1977). The sustained power output from striated muscle. Scale Effects in Animal Locomotion, 511–525.
AravindBabu, A., Venkatachalapathy, V., & Chari, N. (1978). Aerodynamic parameters of Chrysocorispurpureus (Westw.), (Pentatomidae:Heteroptera). Entomon, 3, 1–6.
Chari, N., Reddy, M. R. G., & Narayan, G. (1979). A comparative study of flight adaptations. In Vistas in molecular, solid state and Biophysics. A commemorative research volume in honour of Prof. Puranik, P.G (pp. 343–349).
Ellington, C. P. (1980). Vortices and hovering flight. Instationare Effekte An Schwingended Fluegeln, 64–101.
Baker, P. S., Gewecke, M., & Cooter, R. J. (1981). The natural flight of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria L. Journal of Comparative Physiology,141(2), 233–237.
Ellington, C. P. (1984a). The aerodynamics of hovering inset flight II. Morphological parameters. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. London, 13, 7–40.
Ellington, C. P. (1984b). The aerodynamics of hovering insect flight III. Kinematics. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. London, 13, 41–78.
Ellington, C. P. (1984c). The aerodynamics of hovering insect flight V. A Vortex Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. London, 13(305), 115–144.
Casey, T. M., May, M. L., & Morgan, K. R. (1985). Flight energetics of euglossine bees in relation to morphology and wing stroke frequency. Journal of Experimental Biology, 116(1), 271–289.
Brodsky, A. K. (1991). Vortex formation in the tethered flight of the peacock butterfly Inachis io L. (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) and some aspects of insect flight evolution. Journal of Experimental Biology, 161, 77–95.
Brodsky, A. K. (1994). The evolution of insect flight. Oxford University Press.
Puranik, P. G., & Chari, N. (1986). Bio-aerodynamics of fliers. Hyderabad, India: National Book Enterprises.
Ravi, A. (1986). Flight dynamics and flight muscle metabolism in Chrysocorispurpureus (WESTW), a pentatomid bug. Ph.D. thesis, Kakatiya University, Warangal, India.
Vydehi, Y. (1992). Flight parameters, moment of inertia and some observations on flight muscle metabolism of tessaratoma javanica (Thunborg) a pentatomid bug. Ph.D. thesis. Kakatiya University, Warangal, India.
Dickinson, M. H., Lehmann, F. O., & Sane, S. (1999). Wing rotation and the aerodynamic basis of insect flight. Science, 284, 1954–1960.
Sane, S. P. (2003). Induced airflow in flying insects. Journal of Experimental Biology, 209, 32–42.
Shyy, W., Lian, Y., Tang, J., Viieru, D., & Liu, H. (2008). Aerodynamics of low Reynolds number flyers (Vol. 22). Cambridge University Press, UK.
Mukherjee, I., & Omkar, S. N. (2011) An analytical model for the aeroelasticity of insect flapping. Structure Dynamics and Materials Conference (pp. 1–14). Denver, Colorado.
Tanaka, H. (2012). Flexible wing structures of simplified insect-sized flapping MAVs. In 2012 ICME International Conference on Complex Medical Engineering (CME) (pp. 397–401). IEEE.
Vanneste, T., Paquet, J. B., Grondel, S., & Cattan, E. (2012). Aeroelastic simulation of flexible flapping wing based on structural FEM and quasi steady aerodynamic model. In 28th International Congress of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS2012) (pp. 1–10).
Ho, S., Nassef, H., Pornsinsirirak, N., Tai, Y. C., & Ho, C. M. (2003). Unsteady aerodynamics and flow control for flapping wing flyers. Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 39(8), 635–681.
Sibilski, K., Żurek, J., & Żyluk, A. (2010). Microelectromechanical flying insects—State of the art. In 27th International Congress of the Aeronautical Sciences, ICAS. IEEE.
Curet, O. M., Swartz, S. M., & Breuer, K. S. (2013). An aeroelastic instability provides a possible basis for the transition from gliding to flapping flight. Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 10(80), 2012–0940.
Sane, S. P. (2003). The aerodynamics of insect flight. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 206(23), 4191–4208.
Shyy, W., Aono, H., Chimakurthi, S. K., Trizila, P., Kang, C. K., Cesnik, C. E., & Liu, H. (2010). Recent progress in flapping wing aerodynamics and aeroelasticity. Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 46(7), 284–327.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Chari, N., Srinivas, P. (2021). Flight a Retrospect a Brief Review. In: Chari, N., Mukkavilli, P., Parayitam, L. (eds) Biophysics of Insect Flight. Springer Series in Biophysics, vol 22. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5184-7_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5184-7_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-5183-0
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-5184-7
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)