NSF Award
2422802
This project investigates the biomechanical and fluid-mechanical mechanisms that insects use to move their antennae. Antennae are sensing organs that provide insects with astonishing abilities to navigate in air and water and on land or to identify a mate, a predator, or another member of their own species. All of these tasks require a millisecond-fast mechanical response by the antennae to environmental perturbations. Insects express a broad range of antennal forms, with diameters spanning orders of magnitude from submicrons to millimeters, and a large range of length-to-diameter ratios, all of which pose significant engineering challenges for insects to control their antennal movements. To understand the wide-ranging abilities of flying and nonflying insects to respond to environmental perturbations, a diverse team of researchers will investigate the structure, function, and biomechanics of antennae. Hovering and nonhovering hawkmoths and flying and nonflying cockroaches will be used to provide insights into the role of antennae in species diversification. The results will provide strategies for designing novel bio-inspired fiber-based micro-actuators, sensors, and micro-robotics that can take advantage of the mechanisms insects use to manipulate their antennae. The knowledge gained and the techniques, instruments, and materials developed will benefit biological and engineering sciences. The team will nurture a new educational culture integrating biology and engineering to prepare a new generation of scientists, engineers, and teachers. Participating in public outreach activities related to the project, students will lead citizen-science activities that provide insects, such as hawk moths, for study and will share results on a dedicated webpage. <br/><br/>The functional morphology of insect antennae demonstrates a common structural arrangement of a shaped, cantilevered, load-free microfluidic device. The project’s principal hypothesis is that hemolymph (insect blood) pressure and flow create and control internal bending and twisting moments that enable fast reactions and antennal movements. A quantitative analysis of the mechanical reaction of antennae will be conducted by using methods of comparative biomechanics involving three objectives: (1) investigate the blood-cuticle coupling, (2) perform a comparative biomechanics analysis of antennal movements caused by blood flow, and (3) provide a predictive framework by determining the constraints imposed by the physical determinants of blood flow and antennal deformations. The project employs a rigorous experimental and theoretical research program based on unique materials-characterization technology and high-speed optical microscopy and X-ray imaging of live insects, supported by modeling. The general principles of materials design and biomechanics of insect antennae to be discovered in the project may be applied to many arthropods, enabling investigation of the fundamental evolutionary strategies governing the design of antenna-like organs with distributed actuation, sensing, and manipulation of minute amounts of biofluids. Broad talent and diverse perspectives will be incorporated into the team by involving all academic levels from high school onward. The award will support a post-doctoral fellow and two graduate student researchers, as well as course-based research opportunities for undergraduates.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
