Dung beetle’s use of Milky Way for navigation inspires new AI sensor for drones

A guiding light

“Insects have been solving navigational problems for millions of years, including those that even the most advanced machines struggle with,” said Professor Chahl.

Notably, this remarkable behavior was first observed by Swedish researchers in 2013.

“Nocturnal dung beetles move their head and body extensively when rolling balls of manure across a field, needing a fixed orientation point in the night sky to help them steer in a straight line,” said Professor Chahl.

“Their tiny compound eyes make it difficult to distinguish individual stars, particularly while in motion.” 

However, the Milky Way, a broad band of light across the night sky, remains easily visible to them.

Natural navigation

To mimic this natural navigation strategy, the research team conducted experiments where they mounted a camera on the roof of a vehicle.

They captured images of the Milky Way both when the vehicle was stationary and when it was in motion.

They discovered that the Milky Way, unlike individual stars, is largely unaffected by motion blur.

This key insight led to the development of a computer vision system that can reliably measure the orientation of the Milky Way, even in low light and with significant movement.

This new sensor could provide a backup navigation method for satellites, ensuring their stability and accurate positioning. It could also enable drones and robots to navigate complex environments, even in the absence of ample light.

“For the next step I want to put the algorithm on a drone and allow it to control the aircraft in flight during the night,” remarked Lead author UniSA PhD candidate Yiting Tao.

Case of the dung beetle

The dung beetle navigates by using the constellation of stars within the Milky Way as a fixed reference point, allowing it to roll dung balls in a straight line.

While many insects rely on the sun and moon for navigation, the dung beetle, along with some moths, has adapted to use the Milky Way when these celestial bodies are not visible.

“And they’ve done it in a tiny little package. Their brains consist of tens of thousands of neurons compared to billions of neurons in humans, yet they still manage to find solutions from the natural world,” concluded Chahl.

The research findings, published in the journal Biomimetics, underscore the power of biomimicry, the practice of drawing inspiration from nature to solve complex human problems.