Controlling free flight of a robotic fly using an onboard sensor inspired by insect ocelli

This paper describes the first time a fly-sized robot -- the Harvard Robobee -- has carried a sensor onboard. In previous flights, the vehicle was “flying blind“ -- it required an array of external cameras to precisely track its trajectory to control its flight. In this paper, we used a light sensor inspired by the ocelli of insects to tell the vehicle about its motion relative to a light source so that it could stay upright in flight. It will be necessary for the fly to carry sensors