A Note on the Electromechanical Design of a Robotic Hummingbird

André Preumont,Ali Roshanbin,Shengzheng Kang,Kainan Wang,Han Wang

doi:10.3390/act10030052

Abstract

This paper analyzes the lift-production system in hovering of the flapping wing robot COLIBRI of the size of a hummingbird. The paper first examines the flapping wing mechanism for which a new gear transmission is proposed to reduce the friction and facilitate the assembly. Next, a sensitivity analysis is performed on the wing size. Then, the paper discusses several options for the gearbox, various DC motors and two battery configurations (a single battery or two batteries in series) to minimize the heat generation and increase the flight time. The configuration involving two batteries has been found more effective. The flight time is predicted using Shepherd’s discharge model and it is confirmed by an experiment. The robot sustains an endurance of nearly 5 min to produce a lift force equal to the weight of the robot.

Highlights

Design of a Robotic Hummingbird.In recent years, several robotic projects have been developed that attempt to mimic the flight of a large hummingbird [1,2,3], with a span and weight around 20 cm and 20 gr. far from being as sophisticated as natural hummingbirds, these projects include some of their features: two wings, tailless, active stabilization by manipulating the wing camber; their weight penalty compared with natural hummingbirds of the same size is still significant, but they show clearly the feasibility of a robotic hummingbird in a not-toodistant future, which could open the road to unprecedented flight agility
Far from being as sophisticated as natural hummingbirds, these projects include some of their features: two wings, tailless, active stabilization by manipulating the wing camber; their weight penalty compared with natural hummingbirds of the same size is still significant, but they show clearly the feasibility of a robotic hummingbird in a not-toodistant future, which could open the road to unprecedented flight agility
The mechanical power needed to overcome the friction in the mechanism has been substantially reduced

Summary

Introduction

Design of a Robotic Hummingbird.In recent years, several robotic projects have been developed that attempt to mimic the flight of a large hummingbird [1,2,3], with a span and weight around 20 cm and 20 gr. far from being as sophisticated as natural hummingbirds, these projects include some of their features: two wings, tailless, active stabilization by manipulating the wing camber; their weight penalty compared with natural hummingbirds of the same size is still significant, but they show clearly the feasibility of a robotic hummingbird in a not-toodistant future, which could open the road to unprecedented flight agility. Several robotic projects have been developed that attempt to mimic the flight of a large hummingbird [1,2,3], with a span and weight around 20 cm and 20 gr. If one excepts the nano-hummingbird [1] developed by AeroVironment with a generous Darpa funding, these projects have been pursued in an academic environment, using commercial low-cost components (mostly from toys). They result from a long struggle of the researchers with a multidisciplinary problem involving unsteady aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, mechanism and control, and often necessitating to develop dedicated testing devices.

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Conclusion