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Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of the virtual-reality flight simulator. External
supports, etc., are not shown. The insect is tethered at the centre of the
acrylic sphere, which is suspended in a gasket. Two customized data projectors
project image sequences onto the entire surface of the sphere, which is
painted as a back-projection surface. The light path is folded using mirrors
to minimize the size of the apparatus and maximize resolution. The insect is
mounted on a six-component force–moment balance on the end of a movable
sting. In the configuration shown here, the sting is moved in an oscillatory
coning motion by a brushless motor, with two further adjustable axes providing
static adjustment of sting orientation to adjust the phasing of roll, pitch
and yaw. The insect sits at the open mouth of a transparent wind tunnel
mounted inside the sphere. The apparatus enables independent stimulation of
each of the sensory modalities involved in insect flight control.
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