Insect Flight and Walking: Neuroethological Basis

Insects are, by any measure, the most successful animal group on the planet. One contributor to this success is their ability to move seamlessly through virtually any environment. This capacity has not been lost on engineers who attempt to build agile robots. However, no current robot moves with an insect’s agility and adaptability. A great deal of this capacity arises from remarkable control systems that process large amounts of sensory data, both locally in thoracic ganglia and in brain circuits, and then use this information to control and modify movements as needed. This article will review these systems.