10.5061/DRYAD.RFJ6Q57C2
Fabian, Sam
0000-0002-0366-7236
Imperial College London
Sumner, Mary E
University of Minnesota
Wardill, Trevor J
University of Minnesota
Bellido, Paloma T Gonzalez
University of Minnesota
Avoiding obstacles while intercepting a moving target: A miniature
fly's solution
Dryad
dataset
2021
guidance
Navigation
2022-01-07T00:00:00Z
2022-01-07T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5819429
22899881 bytes
3
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
The miniature robber fly Holcocephala fusca intercepts its targets using a
system whose behaviour is approximated by the proportional navigation
guidance law. During predatory trials, we challenged Holcocephala's
interception performance by placing a large object in its potential flight
path. In response, Holcocephala deviated from the path predicted by
pure-proportional navigation, but in many cases still eventually contacted
the target. We show that such flight deviations can be explained as the
output of two competing navigational systems; pure-proportional navigation
and a simple obstacle avoidance algorithm. Obstacle avoidance by
Holcocephala is here described by a simple feedback loop that uses the
visual expansion of the approaching obstacle to mediate the magnitude of
the turning-away response. We name the integration of this this steering
law with pro-nav "Combined Guidance". The results demonstrate
that predatory intent does not operate a monopoly on the fly's
steering when attacking a target, and that simple guidance combinations
can explain obstacle avoidance during interceptive tasks.
The enclosed data features the trajectories of Holcocephala
fusca intercepting a moving dummy target whilst avoiding a static
obstacle. This data was collected under field conditions using
time-synchronised Photron Fastcam 2 cameras recording at 1000 frames per
second. The data has been converted into 3D trajectories using
checker-board calibration of the cameras immediately after capturing
interception flights.
The obstacle (termed "bar") took the form of a flat sheet of
painted black acetate. 'Thick' and 'Thin' in the bar
descriptor refers to either a 5 cm width or 2.5 cm width, as detailed
within the manuscript. A ReadMe file is included that details each of the
files within each data folder, and what they tell you. Separately, there
is an example plotting script which should demonstrate the use of all the
included data to reproduce figures similar to those in the manuscript.