Optimum Design of a Novel Bio-Inspired Bat Robot

Abstract

Inspired by the agility, high efficiency, and low noise of bat flight, we propose the design of an unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) that can mimic the flight behaviors of bats. By adjusting the wing flapping and morphing during both upstroke and downstroke phases, bats achieve aerodynamic performance that generates sufficient lift and thrust forces for diverse maneuvers. To mimic bat morphology in a robot, we use a multi-objective optimization method to determine the Cartesian positions of the wings, and the elbow angle, which in turn influences the wing area. Our goal is to minimize the differences between the biological bat’s limb trajectories (elbow angles and Cartesian trajectories) and those of the robot. Due to the complex dimensionality of bats, a mathematical tool: Principal Component Analysis, is combined with the weighted sum method in the optimization algorithm. Via simulation, we observed overall agreement of elbow angles between the kinematics of a biological bat (Pteropodidae: <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Cynopterus brachyotis</i> ) and the robot, along with a reasonable match on the folding and flapping angles. The proposed method provides a straightforward and robust approach for the optimization of bat-inspired robots.