Michael H. Dickinson: How Flies Fly

This event was digitally recorded and is available for viewing on the Caltech Theater site.

Whether circling garbage cans or cruising through alpine meadows, flies impress us with their aerial agility. Rapid sensory processing, efficient muscles, novel aerodynamics, and a robust control system collectively make flies the most sophisticated flying machines on the planet. Recent advances in physics, engineering, and biology have increased greatly our understanding of these common, but underappreciated creatures. Studies using wind tunnels, virtual reality simulators, high speed video, and giant robotic models have all yielded surprising findings that teach us how the poppy seed-sized brains of these tiny insects can rapidly control aerodynamic forces. Results from these experiments may lead to the construction of a new class of miniature flying robots.

Michael H. Dickinson is the Zarem Professor of Bioengineering at Caltech.

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