With the ability to monitor insect behavior at high speeds, this system aids in the study of insect population decline, biodiversity, and the development of insect-inspired robots.
Recently, Dr. Vo Doan Tat Thang from the University of Queensland, Australia, and collaborators at the University of Freiburg, Germany, published a paper in the field of field robotics in the journal Science Robotics, marking a new advancement in insect research that has previously been limited by surveillance technology.
Image of a honeybee preparing to land, captured by the FLO device with an integrated high-speed camera – (Source: Straw Lab).
For a long time, insects have been recognized as playing a crucial role in ecosystems, economies, and global health. Studying insects in their natural environment can lead to significant discoveries regarding their behavior and habits. However, filming insects in the wild is challenging due to their small size and rapid movements.
Due to the lack of suitable recording technology, most existing videos of insects are created by setting up fixed cameras. When insects fly out of the frame, it is difficult to adjust the camera to follow them for additional footage.
“Anyone who has tried to film a bee to see what it does after leaving a flower knows it is a challenging task,” commented Professor Andrew Straw, head of the Straw Lab at the University of Freiburg.
In his research, Dr. Vo Doan Tat Thang, currently a lecturer at the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering at the University of Queensland, Australia, along with collaborators at the Institute of Biology I at the University of Freiburg, Germany, marked honeybees, bumblebees, and grasshoppers with reflective glue.
Subsequently, the FLO (fast lock-on) tracking device developed by the team will locate the subjects within milliseconds while capturing high-resolution images of the insects in motion.
FLO employs an automatic control system to adjust the tilt and rotation angles of the mirror to maintain the insect’s reflected image centered on the optical sensor (camera), keeping the image sharp and greatly increasing the recording range.
This system has been integrated into drones to capture images of honeybees over a distance of more than 100 meters in just a few minutes. “This research opens up the potential for tracking insect species over long distances at a large scale,” stated Melisa Yashinski, a senior editor at Science Robotics.
Professor Andrew Straw with the FLO-equipped drone – (Source: Straw Lab).
The research team demonstrated that FLO is a versatile innovation that can be integrated with various camera models and other components to create simple, low-cost field robotic systems as well as more complex, advanced setups.
“With the ability to track insect behavior at high speeds and high resolution, FLO can be utilized for research on insect population decline, biodiversity, biosafety, pest management, or the development of insect-inspired robots,” Dr. Thang shared.
Seven years ago, Dr. Thang and collaborators in Singapore successfully developed a hybrid robot weighing only 1 gram on the body of a beetle.
