Meeting Abstract
Flying insects are exquisitely sensitive to optic flow, which they use to guide flight and correct perturbations from their intended course. Motion however, can be fabricated by using light adaptation or light movements over spatial and temporal patterns, producing the illusion of optic flow. We tested the responses of flying fruit flies to stimuli known to produce the sensation of motion in humans, and found quantitative differences. Illusions that are readily apparent to humans elicited no response from flies. We discuss the implications for different mechanisms underlying motion perception in walking and flying animals.
