How can flying insects and drones tell up from down?

Flapping-wing robot controlling its attitude using this new principle. It is equipped with an artificial compound eye inspired by insects, which can perceive optical flow at a high frequency. Christophe De Wagter/TU Delft A team of European researchers has established a new principle that explains how flying insects determine the direction of gravity, without using accelerometers. These results are an important step towards the creation of tiny autonomous drones. For proper operation, drones usually use accelerometers to determine the direction of gravity. In a new study published in Nature on 19 October 2022, a team of scientists from Delft University of Technology, the CNRS and Aix-Marseille University has shown that drones can estimate the direction of gravity by combining visual detection of movement with a model of how they move. These results may explain how flying insects determine the direction of gravity and are a major step toward the creation of tiny autonomous drones.