Abstract
A DARK target on a bright background is fixated1 and tracked2,3 by a flying fly. The delay (dead time) in the fly's behavioural response to a change in the retinal image of the target is very small (about 20 ms)3–5. An artificial increase of this delay may give useful insight into the kind of control systems used by the tracking fly. Comparable psychophysical tracking experiments have been performed. For instance, when a televised display of a person's own behaviour in (closed-loop) pursuit tracking is delayed, his performance, as measured by time on target, is seriously impaired6. It is possible to delay the fly's response in artificial closed-loop conditions, and we have therefore used the effects of delayed visual feedback on tracking performance to test quantitatively a theoretical description of the visual orientation behaviour of flies1,7,8.
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