Currently the only way of getting stable video of insects in flight involves tethering them in place – which some people would say isn’t really “flying” at all. Now, however, French scientists have developed a camera platform that moves through the air with the insect.
The robotic system was created via a collaboration between CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research), the University of Lorraine, and INRA (National Institute of Agricultural Research).As the target insect flies through the air, the PixyCams stereoscopically track its position in three-dimensional space.
It’s actually not unlike a tiny version of the Skycam system used for film production and sports coverage, in which a cable-suspended camera moves through the air above its moving subject.
So far, lab-on-cables has been successfully used to track and film free-flying Agrotis ipsilonmoths, which were moving at a speed of 3 meters (9.8 ft) per second. Down the road, it is hoped that the technology could be utilized to gain a better understanding of the orientation strategies used by insects such as fruit flies or mosquitos.