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Frequency analysis of a bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) wingbeat

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Abstract

The wingbeat of an insect relates directly to energy consumption, is a strong indicator of its rate of metabolism and physical structure, and inversely relates to the length of its wing and to the mass of its body. It is also a principal component in understanding the aerodynamic properties of its flight. In this paper, we introduce a method based on the use of high-speed cameras and computer vision techniques to analyze a bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) wingbeat. We start capturing images with a virtual stereo system when a bumblebee crosses two intersecting laser beams. Then, we detect moving objects using background subtraction. Next, via Fourier analysis of the observed optical flow contraction/expansion, and marginalization of prior knowledge, we estimate the wingbeat frequency. Finally, the information from the two virtual cameras is fused using a robust state estimation. Our system is well prepared to handle occlusions; it works with untethered insects; and it does not require the synchronization of a multi-camera system.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially funded by SIP-IPN under contract 20140325, and Fomix CONACYT-GDF under Grant 189085.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Cerro Blanco 141, Colinas del Cimatario, 76090, Querétaro, Mexico

    Joaquín Santoyo, Willy Azarcoya, Manuel Valencia & Joaquín Salas

  2. Koppert México, Circuito El Marqués 82 Nte Parque Industrial El Marqués, El Marqués, Querétaro, Mexico

    Alfonso Torres

Authors
  1. Joaquín Santoyo
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  2. Willy Azarcoya
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  3. Manuel Valencia
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  4. Alfonso Torres
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  5. Joaquín Salas
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Correspondence to Joaquín Salas.

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Santoyo, J., Azarcoya, W., Valencia, M. et al. Frequency analysis of a bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) wingbeat. Pattern Anal Applic 19, 487–493 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10044-015-0501-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10044-015-0501-3

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