Using Pressure Sensitive Paint to Study Insect Flight
Pressure sensitive paint (PSP) is used to create pressure maps of aerodynamic surfaces. The intensity of PSP is dependent on the amount of pressure applied to the paint: as the intensity of PSP increases, the pressure on the surface decreases. Recently the use of this paint was incorporated into studying insect flight. This study will focus on the several aspects of using PSP to study insect flight. First the affects of PSP on the wing beat frequency of honey bees in hovering flight must be determined. The wing beat frequency will be obtained from sound recordings of flight with an electret microphone. For insect flight studies we must ensure the paint or the painting process does not significantly affect frequency. Changes in wing beat frequency greater than 10% are unacceptable. Matlab will be used to analyze the data. Also the study will focus on investigating the use of PSP in fluids by developing a PSP that shows phosphorescent intensity dependence on the flow rate of fluid. The long-term goal is to obtain a pressure map of mechanical insect wings, using a painted robotic fly apparatus immersed in fluid. Bee behavior during experiments will be examined. This includes determining which method of inducing the honey bees to fly using visual and olfactory stimulation; and which method of inducing sleep, necessary for wing painting, is least harmful to the bees: chilling them in a freezer or using dry ice to reduce oxygen.
