Looks like us Nature Lovers are NOT the only people interested in DragonFlys!

Well a little disclaimer first, *This post will contain links to Military websites*. (I will use code tags so the links are not live).


Scientists look to nature in planning future aircraft

Date:
5 June, 2003
Media Release Number:
MR0003

Quote :

The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and the Australian National University (ANU) are drawing on nature in a project to develop techniques for automatic flight manoeuvres with possible applications in unmanned aerial vehicles.

DSTO's Dr Javaan Chahl and ANU scientist, Dr Akiko Mizutani are studying the dragonfly and how it fools its prey into believing it's not moving when it's actually closing in for the kill. The research, at ANU's Biorobotics Laboratory, funded by the United States Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the DSTO, is featured in the latest edition of the prestigious science journal, Nature.

Researchers at the Biorobotics Laboratory are also working with NASA to develop other insect inspired technologies that may one day be used in aerial vehicles to explore the surface of Mars.

Dr Mizutani said they have found that the dragonfly uses the technique called "active motion camouflage" to approach its prey, escape from a predator, or simply to shadow and observe without being noticed. She said that during motion camouflage the dragonfly maintains precise control of position and speed.

"To a moving observer the dragonfly appears to be stationary or part of the background".

"Territorial combat between male dragonflies was found to involve motion camouflage in 40% of encounters indicating that it is an important part of their repertoire," she said.

Dr Chahl said that the basic dragonfly shape has changed little in 300 million years, it has the most acute vision of all insects, is the all round best flier in the insect world and it survives by capturing its prey on the wing.

This work is part of DSTO's long range research into autonomous vehicles and is related to Defence's broad interest in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as Global Hawk.

Dr Mizutani and Dr Chahl's efforts will now focus on how dragonflies can fly with such precision using mainly visual information, and further study of dragonfly combat tactics.

ENDS

SOURCE:

Code:

http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/news/3774/

This is where it becomes a tad bit more interesting when we visit an article from the Australian Minister of Defence published in 2002. You will notice that he stated the research was funded by DSTO and Nasa... and it will be used for trips to Mars. Well well Mr Minister you sure can spin a tale LOL

Quote :

21 Aug 2002
423/02

The uncanny ability of a dragonfly to fly steadily even when the weather is bad has proved inspirational for scientists from the Defence Science and Technology Organisation and the Australian National University.

Defence Minister Robert Hill said today the scientists had successfully developed a micro-autopilot robotic aircraft based on their world leading research into the way insects see.

The aircraft is a feature of insect vision workshops being held at the DSTO display at the Australian Science Festival in Canberra, organised as part of National Science Week.

"DSTO’s Dr Javaan Chahl and his colleagues at ANU based their work on an obscure sensor in the heads of dragonflies that helps the insects maintain level flight under adverse conditions," Senator Hill said.

"The technology they have developed to mimic the insect’s sensory system can potentially be applied to precision guided weapons and unmanned combat aircraft.

"Such systems will most likely play a major role in the future, providing significant benefits to both the civilian and military worlds in terms of improved surveillance capability and reduced risk to life," Senator Hill said.

"In fact, DSTO is working with NASA in an effort to develop such insect inspired technologies into an aerial vehicle that may one day explore Mars."

Senator Hill said this research was part of a strategic effort by DSTO to build capability in robotics.

"DSTO is undertaking a number of activities in the area of robotic air and underwater vehicles," Senator Hill said.

"It is expanding its work into a more broadly based and integrated research program in robotic systems."

SOURCE:

Code:

http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/HillTpl.cfm?CurrentId=1804

In 2005 as published in the Australian Defence Magazine the authors seem to "conveniently" place the Office of Naval Research at the end of the sentence which by the time the casual reader had got through the other agency's listed they would most likely skim that part...Well NASA was there and they are the Space People so they say?. What is also of interest is another purpose of this technology and most likely the real purpose of this research.

Quote :

Insect vision
The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) supports a world class research program in insect vision and behaviour (biorobotics and neuroethology), and how the findings can be applied to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can 'think' for themselves.
Photograph, caption follows

Dr Javaan Chahl at work in the laboratory.
Photo provided by DSTO

Recently the program has relocated from the Australian National University in Canberra to DSTO Edinburgh and the University of South Australia. The Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Air Force Research Laboratories, the Office of Naval Research and commercial interests continuously supported the program.

The program is focused on achieving collision avoidance and target detection systems for UAVs that can fly by themselves on a set mission using video imagery. Pioneering work is also being undertaken in the area of detecting moving targets in cluttered and difficult environments. This work shows that a machine vision technique is capable of detecting a moving target in dense clutter.

Planetary exploration has been a major activity in the university part of the program with funding from the NASA Ames Research Centre in California. NASA was attracted by DSTO's interest in navigation without Global Positioning System (GPS) and magnetic field, and the possibility of applying this research to future aerial vehicles to explore the surface of Mars. The Red Planet has no useful magnetic field and currently no GPS network.

The research team, led by Dr Javaan Chahl and Dr Akiko Mizutanti, gained national and international recognition in 2003 when the prestigious Nature magazine published a report on their research into insect behaviour, particularly that of dragonflies.

During work to identify the guidance laws and aerial combat manoeuvres used by dragonflies, it became clear to Dr Chahl and Dr Mizutani that dragonflies apply tactics that confound the visual system of their opponent. The Dragonfly is an ancient creature, amongst the first species of flying animals to evolve more than 300 million years ago. For 150 million years (until birds evolved) they were the apex aerial predator. Many authorities rate dragonflies as the ultimate flying organism. For these reasons the dragonfly appears to be the most likely source of new guidance and control concepts. Using stereo imaging hardware and computer vision techniques, the team reconstructed trajectories of rival male dragonflies during combat. The work published in Nature is only the beginning of this fascinating story that now continues in collaboration with the University of South Australia.

Biorobotics and Neuroethology are useful and largely self-sustaining activities within DSTO. Spin-off technologies for capability programs have been produced. The experimental program has placed the organisation well to provide rapid and effective advice on autonomous systems from direct experience.

SOURCE:

Code:

http://www.defence.gov.au/defencemagazine/editions/20051101/groups/dsto.htm

Posting the Dragonfly pics got me back thinking about this topic which I was looking over last year LOL

Well I have two points to my post which are:

The office of Naval Research (The people who created HAARP) and DSTO were behind this research. The rest is just fluff for media.

Secondly given that a magnetic field should exist on all Planets, and they slipped up about a failing GPS system ?

One has to wonder what they can *really* achieve with all their technology

In round about ways they showed a card with that info.

Just to point out the Lies from the last qoute in my initail post:

Quote :

The Red Planet has no useful magnetic field

If it smells like shit, tastes like shit, then its shit LOL

Useful Magnetic Field ?

Have you seen 'Superhero Movie'?

"Orphaned high school student Rick Riker is bitten by a radioactive dragonfly, develops super powers (except for the ability to fly), and becomes a hero"

Reunite wrote:

Have you seen 'Superhero Movie'?

"Orphaned high school student Rick Riker is bitten by a radioactive dragonfly, develops super powers (except for the ability to fly), and becomes a hero"

Nah Reuniter I have not seen it

I am still amazed that they are planning for a *self-made* catastrophe here on Earth.

If they can fly, at least we know we CAN FLY...minus a few goods here and there ;)