Insect Small-Target Motion Detection for Seeker Applications

Abstract : Although insects are relatively simple organisms compared to vertebrates, with nervous systems of limited size and complexity, they nonetheless possess capabilities that could greatly enhance the performance of autonomous flying vehicles and weapons if they could be duplicated in an artificial system. Insects do a remarkable job of controlling flight and other behaviors based on their low-resolution visual sense. Computation of optical flow for estimation of egomotion, and detection and tracking of moving targets, are two examples of such processing. For man- made systems that emulate these capabilities, we would, expect to find applications in guidance and control and in seeker technology.