Avian flight dynamics and control - a multidisciplinary approach

The project fits within theme 1 of the BBSRC Forward Look for UK Bioscience remit: Advancing the frontiers of bioscience discovery, specifically in "understanding the rules of life". The project is a curiosity-driven approach to understanding the complex dynamics and control of gliding flight in owls, which is predicted to be more broadly applicable to other gliding species. The project takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining computational biomechanics modelling with experimental aerodynamics testing. Knowledge obtained from the project not only contributes to the fundamental science of animal locomotion, but also has direct applicability to the development of aerial robotics, specifically in terms of developing novel lightweight flight control architectures for unmanned aerial vehicles.