Why is it so hard to swat a fly?

serpa

The enduring mystery of why it is so difficult to swat a fly has been solved by scientists who believe they can now offer technical advice on how to hit a fly before it has chance to escape. A series of experiments with high-speed digital cameras and a swarm of obliging laboratory flies has discovered that the insects use a sophisticated defence system to anticipate a swatter's movements in a fraction of a second. The researchers found that a fly can calculate the angle of attack, make appropriate movements to its body and legs and adjust its wings to allow it to evade a direct hit. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/gotcha-how-to-swat-a-fly-and-know-that-it-will-die-912322.html Jul 28 10, 11:06 AM

gmackematix

Would-be sultans of swat are often thwarted because the compound eyes of flies, made up of hundreds of hexagonal units called ommatidia, may not be good at seeing detail (like where to fly out of an open window), but are very effective at spotting movement. The tiny brains of house flies also somehow process six times more images per second than we do so a rapidly descending newspaper can appear quite slow. Add this to their rapid reaction time and flight capabilities and that trick of catching flies with chopsticks seems quite impressive. http://watchingtheworldwakeup.blogspot.com/2009/11/amazing-housefly-part-2-coolest-eye.html Jul 28 10, 7:10 PM