Abstract
AbstractThe ability to upright quickly and efficiently when overturned on the ground (terrestrial self-righting) is crucial for living organisms and robots. The emerging field of terradynamics seeks to understand how and why different animals use diverse self-righting strategies. We studied this behavior using high speed multiangle video in nymphs of the invasive spotted lanternfly (SLF,Lycorma delicatula), an insect that must frequently recover from falling in its native habitat. While most insect species previously studied can use wing opening to facilitate overturning, nymphs, like most robots, are wingless. SLFs were highly successful at self-righting (>92% of trials) with no significant difference in the time or number of attempts required for three substrates with varying friction and roughness. These nymphs seldom overturned using the pitching and rolling strategies observed for other insect species, instead primarily flipping upright by rotating around a diagonal body axis. To understand these motions, we used video, photogrammetry and Blender rendering software to create novel, highly realistic 3D models of SLF body poses during each strategy. These models were analyzed using the energy landscape theory of self-righting, which posits that animals use methods that minimize energy barriers to overturning, and inertial morphing, which proposes the animal adjusts its body pose to minimize the rotational inertia during overturning, a theory which has not been applied to self-righting. A combination of both theories was found to explain the observed preferred strategies of this species, indicating the value of using 3D renderings with mechanical modeling for terradynamics and biomimetic applications.Summary statementMany animals and robots need to upright quickly when overturned. This study uses 3D models and high-speed video to explain how the invasive spotted lanternfly self-rights effectively on different surfaces.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory