From Wired News:
A unifying theory of winged locomotion could explain the magical mid-air maneuvers of birds and insects, and guide the design of flying robots.
Using high-speed video, biologists modeled how hummingbirds and hawkmoths use asymmetrical flapping to make slow, mid-air turns. The model predicted how five other flyers turned at full speed, hinting at a universal turning technique for flying creatures.
"It's basically an exponential damping system," said Ty Hedrick, a University of North Carolina animal aerodynamics expert. "The strength of braking increases in proportion to speed."
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