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We formulate a kinetic theory of two species of hard spheres undergoing reactive collisions that convert chemical energy into kinetic energy. The model describes an active species interacting with a passive background, labeled as birds and…
We present a data-driven feedforward control to attenuate large transient lift experienced by an airfoil disturbed by an extreme level of discrete vortex gust. The current analysis uses a nonlinear machine-learning technique to compress the…
We use laser hole-drilling to assess the mechanics of an embryonic epithelium during development - in vivo and with subcellular resolution. We ablate a subcellular cylindrical hole clean through the epithelium, and track the subsequent…
Within the transonic regime, the aeroelastic problems exhibit many unique characteristics compared with subsonic and supersonic cases. Although a lot of research has been carried out in this field, the underlying mechanisms of these complex…
Linear and nonlinear resonant states can be restrictive: they exist at particular discrete states in frequency and/or elasticity, under particular (e.g., simple-harmonic) waveforms. In forced oscillators, this restrictiveness is an obstacle…
Autonomous drone navigation faces a critical challenge in achieving accurate landings on dynamic platforms, especially under unpredictable conditions such as wind turbulence. Our research introduces TornadoDrone, a novel Deep Reinforcement…
Neuromorphic processing promises high energy efficiency and rapid response rates, making it an ideal candidate for achieving autonomous flight of resource-constrained robots. It will be especially beneficial for complex neural networks as…
This expository review is devoted to fish swimming and bird/insect flight. (i) The simple waving motion of an elongated flexible ribbon plate of constant width, immersed in a fluid at rest, propagating a wave distally down the plate to swim…
Bipedal animals have diverse morphologies and advanced locomotion abilities. Terrestrial birds, in particular, display agile, efficient, and robust running motion, in which they exploit the interplay between the body segment masses and…
Many biological processes involve the action of molecular motors that interact with the cell cytoskeleton. Some processes, such as the transport of cargoes is achieved mainly by the action of individual motors. Other, such as cell motility…
Achieving both agile maneuverability and high energy efficiency in aerial robots, particularly in dynamic wind environments, remains challenging. Conventional thruster-powered systems offer agility but suffer from high energy consumption,…
Flying insects can perform rapid, sophisticated maneuvers like backflips, sharp banked turns, and in-flight collision recovery. To emulate these in aerial robots weighing less than a gram, known as flying insect robots (FIRs), a fast and…
We employ a novel computational modeling framework to perform high-fidelity direct numerical simulations of aero-structural interactions in bat-inspired membrane wings. The wing of a bat consists of an elastic membrane supported by a highly…
Production of energy (metabolism) and its distribution is vital for living organisms, both at individual level - between different functions of an organism, as well as between species of communities at different organizational levels,…
Relationships between plants and insects vitally underpin the health of global ecosystems and food production. Through co-evolution, insects have acquired a variety of senses in response to the emergence of floral cues such as scent, colour…
Soaring birds gain energy from stable ascending currents or shear. However, it remains unclear whether energy loss due to drag can be overcome by extracting work from transient turbulent fluctuations. We designed numerical simulations of…
In many contexts the modal properties of a structure change, either due to the impact of a changing environment, fatigue, or due to the presence of structural damage. For example during flight, an aircraft's modal properties are known to…
This article presents a guidance-control design methodology for the autonomous maneuvering of tailsitter unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in hybrid flight regimes (i.e. the dynamics between VTOL and fixed wing regime). The tailsitter…
Plant morphology emerges from cellular growth and structure. The turgor-driven diffuse growth of a cell can be highly anisotropic: significant longitudinally and negligible radially. Such anisotropy is ensured by cellulose microfibrils…
Controlled gliding is one of the most energetically efficient modes of transportation for natural and human powered fliers. Here we demonstrate that gliding and landing strategies with different optimality criteria can be identified through…