Acquisition of sensory information from multiple modalities (Thrust 1) is processed via a range of natural architectures (Thrust 2) to affect decisions made by freely navigating animals (the current thrust, Thrust 3). These decisions lead to the intricate trajectories one observes for animals navigating through complex environments, tracking plumes of chemical signals, or even making a decision on whether or not it is safe to fly or forage.
NIFTI’s thrust on Decision Making in flight draws on the other two research thrusts in investigating two main questions:
- What features of the sensory environment are involved in decision-making?
- How little information is needed to make decisions?
Specifically, the objectives of this thrust are to:
- Establish technologies and computational methods for determining the decision and control policies for flight in complex environments.
- Utilize concepts from sparse sensing to design optimal placement of sensors on wings and halteres.