Published by Australian Academy of Science
Glossary | The buzz about insect robots

biomimetics. The study of the structure and function of biological systems as models for the design and engineering of materials. Biomimetics is of special interest to researchers in nanotechnology, robotics, artificial intelligence, the medical industry, and the military. Biomimetics is also useful for testing the validity of theories of animal function, such as locomotion, flight and navigation.

optic flow. Optic flow can be thought of as the speed at which the landscape appears to move past as you make your way through it. If objects in the landscape (say, some trees) are close by, they will appear to move quickly. If the objects are far away (say, a distant mountain range), they will appear to move slowly. A flying insect such as a bee uses optic flow to avoid obstacles by continuously trying to balance the optic flow on its left and right. If, for example, it suddenly finds an object moving quickly on its left side it will veer to the right – because that object must be close by (and it doesn't want to fly into it). Bees also use optic flow to help assess the distance they've travelled, and for landing. More information can be found at What is 'optic flow'? (Centeye, USA).