Learning from insects could help autonomous vehicles.
Scientists studying super-fast tiger beetles have found that the insect's behaviour allows them to successfully avoid obstacles.
A festive tiger beetle Image: Bob Peterson |
The sighted insects rigidly hold their antennae directly in front of them to mechanically sense their environments because their incredible speed prevents them seeing where they are going.
Rigid antennae could be the answer for autonomous vehicles as well as protruding antennae to sense their surroundings.
A new way forward
According to Cole Gilbert, Cornell professor of entomology, the beetles' "eyes are not sufficient or necessary to avoid obstacles. The antennae are held extremely rigid with the tips 1.5 millimetres off the ground, so they would potentially pick up any discontinuity in the surface."
This could prove to be a way forward for autonomous vehicles as a possible alternative to algorithms and pre-planned paths.