My research aims to open a window upon one of nature’s most intractable biomechanical systems, the insect flight motor. In doing so it will inform us about the evolution of flight and how natural selection has shaped the form and function of insect wings and bodies across taxa. It will also provide inspiration to engineers aiming to create bio-inspired micro-robotics and more generally towards the design and control of micromechanical systems. The state-of-the-art measurement and analysis techniques that I have developed and refined can likewise be applied to other research areas to advance the wider field of biomechanics.