Biomechanics of an Avian Flight: Exploration of the Complex Interactions Between the Musculoskeletal, Sensory, and Neural Systems

Abstract

Birds have always fascinated scientists and opened their eyes to new areas of flight mechanisms through biomimicry of these flyers. These flyers can sustain and control the flight through clever maneuvering by flapping their wings. It involves an intricate aerodynamic force production to generate sufficient lift force to overcome the drag and perform useful maneuvers. Development of the forces differs widely among the species due to natural selection of the flyers. As far as the flapping mechanism is considered, it is very efficient. The differences in flight mechanisms may be explored by determining the kinematics, kinetics, and aerodynamics of the flyers. Wing kinematics determines the aerodynamic forces, which vary with flapping speed. The maneuverability and stability are regulated by complex muscle action and neural control allowing the flyer to perform specific tasks. Computational models have emerged as powerful tools to predict the flow around the flyers with potential exploration of the complex interactions between the skeletal system, sensory system, and neural control of the flight.