CAREER: Gliding Flight in Snakes: How Wingless Gliders Produce Force, Maintain Stability, and Maneuver

金蛇属飞蛇的滑行方式与其他动物不同。由于没有附肢或膜作为产生升力的表面，飞蛇从头到尾变平，并利用身体作为单个“翅膀”进行滑行。在空中，蛇在垂直平面上振荡的同时，同时向身体发送行波，这种飞行行为与自然或工程世界中发现的任何其他行为都不同。该项目旨在了解解释飞蛇独特飞行能力的机制。活蛇的滑行将被记录下来，以确定它们详细的身体运动和截面形状，包括通过实验来了解蛇如何保持稳定和在空中机动。物理和计算模型将用于了解蛇的形状和不断变化的身体姿势如何有助于产生用于重量支撑和稳定性的空气动力。将开发更多的理论和物理模型来研究在空中产生蛇形运动的要求。这项研究的主题对于学生和广大公众来说是一个令人兴奋的话题，拟议的研究还将作为将物理、生物学和工程学整合到新颖的教育计划中的新举措的跳板。飞行的动物群体在生物世界中取得了巨大的成功，但目前还没有清晰的图片来解释动力飞行是如何从陆地物种进化而来的。特别是，我们缺乏对物种如何从静态滑翔过渡到主动扑翼飞行的了解。滑翔蛇的起伏运动可以被视为不断变形的翅膀，呈现出从被动滑翔到动力飞行的特征。飞蛇是一种主动滑翔机，代表着从滑翔到扑翼飞行的唯一功能中间体。因此，了解蛇滑行飞行的机制将有助于了解一组物种如何成功克服因身体上的力和旋转扭矩产生的生物力学挑战，这与主动扑翼飞行相关的类似问题。此外，低雷诺数飞行的空气动力学受到的关注远远少于大型工程飞行器的飞行动力学，该项目将阐明具有对称翼型形状但不对称和动态机身姿势的飞行器如何在物理上有利。具体来说，蛇的意想不到的空气动力性能可能源于它在自己的尾流中“冲浪”的能力。在扰动和转动试验期间确定肌肉活动模式将为此类起伏飞行器所需的神经肌肉控制系统提供第一个证据。总而言之，拟议的了解蛇如何滑翔的研究将为跨学科做出贡献，并有可能促进新型微型飞行器的开发。蛇的滑翔飞行也许是自然界中最壮观的行为之一，并且有可能激发新一代学生对 STEM 领域的兴趣。该项目利用这种动物的自然吸引力，为教师和公众开发新的教育内容。基于飞蛇研究，将启动两项重大协同举措。第一个创建令人兴奋的、基于网络的多媒体材料，可供不同教育级别的教师轻松调整和使用。新材料将包括与一位拥有多年为国家地理频道制作节目经验的专业电视制作人合作开发的信息视频。第二项工作将利用该项目的研究成果，在公立学校教师的协助下，在西弗吉尼亚州科学博物馆创建一个关于飞蛇的新博物馆展览，以帮助将研究成果转化为教学法。该展览将在世界各地的博物馆进行改编，包括融入芝加哥菲尔德博物馆的新生物力学展览。除了这些努力的全球影响力之外，飞蛇的吸引力还将被用作一种机制，通过有针对性的招募和访问传统上学生群体服务不足的当地大学，招募代表性不足的学生参与本科和研究生级别的研究。

Flying snakes of the genus Chrysopelea glide like no other animal. Without appendages or membranes to use as lift-generating surfaces, flying snakes flatten from head to tail and glide using the body as a single "wing". In the air, the snakes simultaneously send traveling waves down the body while oscillating in the vertical plane, a flight behavior unlike any other found in the natural or engineering world. This project aims to understand the mechanisms that explain the unique flight abilities of flying snakes. Gliding in live snakes will be recorded to determine their detailed body movements and sectional shapes, including experiments to understand how snakes remain stable and maneuver in the air. Physical and computational models will be used to understand how the snake's shape and continuously changing body posture contribute to the production of aerodynamic forces for weight support and stability. Additional theoretical and physical models will be developed to investigate the requirements for producing snake-like locomotion in the air. The subject of this study is an exciting topic for students and the broader public, and the proposed research will additionally serve as a springboard for new initiatives that integrate physics, biology, and engineering into novel educational programming. Animal groups that fly have been tremendously successful in the biological world, and yet no clear picture has emerged to explain how powered flight has evolved from terrestrial species. In particular, we lack an understanding of how species have transitioned from static gliding to active flapping flight. The undulating movements of the gliding snake, which can be considered as a continuously morphing wing, present characteristics that bridge from passive gliding to powered flight. The flying snake is an active glider, representing the only functional intermediate across the spectrum of gliding to flapping flight. Understanding the mechanics of gliding flight in snakes will therefore lend insight into how one group of species has successfully overcome the biomechanical challenges resulting from shifting forces and rotational torques on the body, a similar problem associated with active flapping flight. Additionally, the aerodynamics of flight at low Reynolds number has received far less attention than the flight dynamics of larger engineered flyers, and this project will elucidate how a craft with symmetrical airfoil shape, but asymmetrical and dynamic body posture, can be physically advantageous. Specifically, the unexpected aerodynamic performance of the snake may originate in its ability to "surf" on its own wake. The determination of muscle activity patterns during perturbation and turning trials will provide the first evidence of the neuromuscular control system required for this type of undulating flyer. In combination, the proposed research to understand how snakes glide will provide contributions across disciplines and will potentially lead to the development of novel micro-air vehicles. Gliding flight in snakes is perhaps one of the most spectacular behaviors in the natural world, and has the potential to inspire new generations of students to take interest in STEM fields. This project taps into the natural appeal of this animal to develop new educational content for teachers and the public. Two major synergistic initiatives will be launched based on flying snake research. The first creates exciting, web-based multi-media material that can be easily adapted and used by teachers across educational levels. The new material will include informative video developed in collaboration with a professional television producer with years of experience creating programs for the National Geographic Channel. The second effort will use research in this project to create a new museum exhibit on flying snakes at the Science Museum of Western Virginia, with assistance from a public school teacher to help translate research into pedagogy. This exhibit will be offered for adaptation at museums worldwide, including the integration into a new exhibit on biomechanics at the Field Museum in Chicago. In addition to the global reach of these efforts, the appeal of flying snakes will be used as a mechanism to recruit underrepresented students into research at the undergraduate and graduate levels through targeted recruiting and visits to local universities with traditionally underserved student populations.