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Abstract |
Thermal soaring is a major natural instance of animal behavior in the presence
of complex orientation cues. The problem is deeply rooted in physics and
biology, with the prowess by birds constituting a challenge for artificial
systems built for technological applications. I will first introduce the
natural phenomenology, then review the physics that controls the complexity of
the orientation cues, and finally show how machine learning methods are brought
to bear on identifying effective flying strategies. Results are applied to
gliders in the field, and provide insight into the decision processes and the
sensorimotor cues utilized by birds. |
