Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle Research Articles

Aerodynamics of a flapping wing with stroke deviation in forward flight

In this paper, we numerically studied the effect of stroke deviation on the aerodynamic performance of the three-dimensional flapping wing in forward flight at a low Reynolds number. Six deviation motion patterns with different stroke deviation amplitudes were investigated. The results show that the distinct patterns exert a substantial influence on the aerodynamic forces of the flapping wing, with a more pronounced effect at higher values of deviation amplitude. For most patterns, stroke deviation enhances either lift or thrust performance unilaterally. The maximum lift and thrust of the wing with deviation motion can be 37% and 35% larger than that of the wing without deviation motion. A detailed analysis of typical flow characteristics underscores the pivotal role of deviation motion in aerodynamic force generation. Finally, two artificially created innovative deviation motion patterns are proposed, which exhibit an exceptional capacity to augment thrust by up to 123% or enhance comprehensive aerodynamic performance significantly. These findings establish a theoretical foundation for designing high-performance flapping-wing micro-air vehicles.

Analysis of aerodynamic characteristics of flexible flapping wings mimicking hummingbirds

Over hundreds of millions of years of natural selection, hummingbirds have evolved excellent flight characteristics. This ingenious wing structure provides a new inspiration for the design of bionic flapping wings. In this paper, a kind of bionic flexible flapping wing is designed with a hummingbird as the prototype, its parametric aerodynamic characteristics are analyzed, and its feasibility is verified by simulation. Combined with the simulation results, the aerodynamic parameters such as lift, drag, and lift-drag ratio are comprehensively considered, and the optimal parameter combination is 5 m/s-20 Hz. Under this parameter combination, the aerodynamic performance is the best, and the lift-drag ratio is as high as 13.3. This paper can provide a theoretical basis and technical reference for further development of bionic flapping wing MAV design.

Surrogate-based pneumatic and aerodynamic allocation design optimization for flapping-wing micro air vehicles

Determining the mapping relationships between the bionic structures and aerodynamic characteristics of flapping-wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs), therefore optimizing their comprehensive performances of pneumatic functions and maneuvering capabilities, poses a formidable challenge. In this work, a surrogate-based approach is proposed to tackle the pivotal challenges. Firstly, an experimental surrogate model is established for predicting the pneumatic performances of the flapping wings using multi-fidelity datasets, which incorporates an efficient global optimization strategy for the sample fill-in to enhance predictive precision while minimizing experimental costs. Secondly, to account for the intricate influences of control inputs on aerodynamic characteristics, comprehensive aerodynamic surrogate models are established to precisely anticipate pneumatic performances and torque allocations under different attitude control patterns. Thirdly, by elucidating the mapping relationships between bionic structures and aerodynamic performances, surrogate-based optimizations aim to identify optimal combinations of corresponding parameters of bionic structures, thereby enhancing the pneumatic and toque allocations of the FWMAV. The bionic structures achieve a maximum lift enhancement of 11.5 % and at least a 5.4 % improvement in torque generation through experimental validations. Based on the optimal outcomes of the bionic structure analysis of the FWMAV, a novel prototype family comprising three distinct sub-varieties is successfully fabricated. The findings of our research are hopefully to offer valuable insights for future FWMAV designs and make potential contributions to the advancement of standardized methodologies for evaluating their flight performances.

HiFly-Dragon: A Dragonfly Inspired Flapping Flying Robot with Modified, Resonant, Direct-Driven Flapping Mechanisms

This paper describes a dragonfly-inspired Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle (FW-MAV), named HiFly-Dragon. Dragonflies exhibit exceptional flight performance in nature, surpassing most of the other insects, and benefit from their abilities to independently move each of their four wings, including adjusting the flapping amplitude and the flapping amplitude offset. However, designing and fabricating a flapping robot with multi-degree-of-freedom (multi-DOF) flapping driving mechanisms under stringent size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints poses a significant challenge. In this work, we propose a compact microrobot dragonfly with four tandem independently controllable wings, which is directly driven by four modified resonant flapping mechanisms integrated on the Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) of the avionics. The proposed resonant flapping mechanism was tested to be able to enduringly generate 10 gf lift at a frequency of 28 Hz and an amplitude of 180° for a single wing with an external DC power supply, demonstrating the effectiveness of the resonance and durability improvement. All of the mechanical parts were integrated on two PCBs, and the robot demonstrates a substantial weight reduction. The latest prototype has a wingspan of 180 mm, a total mass of 32.97 g, and a total lift of 34 gf. The prototype achieved lifting off on a balance beam, demonstrating that the directly driven robot dragonfly is capable of overcoming self-gravity with onboard batteries.

Distributed State Estimation for Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicles with Information Fusion Correction.

In this paper, we explore a nonlinear interactive network system comprising nodalized flapping-wing micro air vehicles (FMAVs) to address the distributed H∞ state estimation problem associated with FMAVs. We enhance the model by introducing an information fusion function, leading to an information-fusionized estimator model. This model ensures both estimation accuracy and the completeness of FMAV topological information within a unified framework. To facilitate the analysis, each FMAV's received signal is individually sampled using independent and time-varying samplers. Transforming the received signals into equivalent bounded time-varying delays through the input delay method yields a more manageable and analyzable time-varying nonlinear network error system. Subsequently, we construct a Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional (LKF) and integrate it with the refined Wirtinger and relaxed integral inequalities to derive design conditions for the FMAVs' distributed H∞ state estimator, minimizing conservatism. Finally, we validate the effectiveness and superiority of the designed estimator through simulations.

Maneuvering Characteristics of Bilateral Amplitude-Asymmetric Flapping Motion Based on a Bat-Inspired Flexible Wing.

Flapping-wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs) have gained much attention from researchers due to their exceptional performance at low Reynolds numbers. However, the limited understanding of active aerodynamic modulation in flying creatures has hindered their maneuverability from reaching that of their biological counterparts. In this article, experimental investigations were conducted to examine the effect of the bilateral amplitude asymmetry of flexible flapping wings. A reduced bionic model featuring bat-like wings is built, and a dimensionless number ΔΦ* is introduced to scale the degree of bilateral amplitude asymmetry in flapping motion. The experimental results suggest that the bilateral amplitude-asymmetric flapping motion primarily induces maneuvering control forces of coupling roll moment and yaw moment. Also, roll moment and yaw moment have a good linear relationship. To achieve more efficient maneuvers based on this asymmetric motion, it is advisable to maintain ΔΦ* within the range of 0 to 0.4. The magnitude of passive pitching deformation during the downstroke is significantly greater than that during the upstroke. The phase of the peak of the passive pitching angle advances with the increase in flapping amplitude, while the valleys lag. And the proportion of pronation and supination in passive pitching motion cannot be adjusted by changing the flapping amplitude. These findings have important practical relevance for regulating turning maneuvers based on amplitude asymmetry and help to understand the active aerodynamic modulation mechanism through asymmetric wing kinematics.

Development of a 2g butterfly-style flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle

A flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle (FMAV) modeled after a butterfly was developed to realize a palm-sized micro aerial vehicle capable of autonomous flight. It has a wingspan of about 220 mm, a weight of 1.8 g with the drive motor and battery installed, and flaps at a frequency of 7 Hz. The results of flight motion analysis using a high-speed camera showed that this butterfly-style FMAV, which does not rely on an external power source and does not have a tail wing, can fly in a straight line while maintaining a constant altitude with an initial speed given. We were also able to observe the flight trajectory of it, which moved up and down with a flapping motion similar to that of a real butterfly. The development of an FMAV that can fly like an insect is important for the viewpoint of robotics to elucidate the posture control mechanism of insects, which still needs to be clarified. The autonomous flight of this butterfly-style FMAV is significant in this regard.

The Aerodynamic Effect of Biomimetic Pigeon Feathered Wing on a 1-DoF Flapping Mechanism.

This study focused on designing a single-degree-of-freedom (1-DoF) mechanism emulating the wings of rock pigeons. Three wing models were created: one with REAL feathers from a pigeon, and the other two models with 3D-printed artificial remiges made using different strengths of material, PLA and PETG. Aerodynamic performance was assessed in a wind tunnel under both stationary (0 m/s) and cruising speed (16 m/s) with flapping frequencies from 3.0 to 6.0 Hz. The stiffness of remiges was examined through three-point bending tests. The artificial feathers made of PLA have greater rigidity than REAL feathers, while PETG, on the other hand, exhibits the weakest strength. At cruising speed, although the artificial feathers exhibit more noticeable feather splitting and more pronounced fluctuations in lift during the flapping process compared to REAL feathers due to the differences in weight and stiffness distribution, the PETG feathered wing showed the highest lift enhancement (28% of pigeon body weight), while the PLA feathered wing had high thrust but doubled drag, making them inefficient in cruising. The PETG feathered wing provided better propulsion efficiency than the REAL feathered wing. Despite their weight, artificial feathered wings outperformed REAL feathers in 1-DoF flapping motion. This study shows the potential for artificial feathers in improving the flight performance of Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicles (FWMAVs).

Time-history performance optimization of flapping wing motion using a deep learning based prediction model

Flapping Wing Micro Aerial Vehicles (FWMAVs) have caused great concern in various fields because of their high efficiency and maneuverability. Flapping wing motion is a very important factor that affects the performance of the aircraft, and previous works have always focused on the time-averaged performance optimization. However, the time-history performance is equally important in the design of motion mechanism and flight control system. In this paper, a time-history performance optimization framework based on deep learning and multi-island genetic algorithm is presented, which is designed in order to obtain the optimal two-dimensional flapping wing motion. Firstly, the training dataset for deep learning neural network is constructed based on a validated computational fluid dynamics method. The aerodynamic surrogate model for flapping wing is obtained after the convergence of training. The surrogate model is tested and proved to be able to accurately and quickly predict the time-history curves of lift, thrust and moment. Secondly, the optimization framework is used to optimize the flapping wing motion in two specific cases, in which the optimized propulsive efficiencies have been improved by over 40% compared with the baselines. Thirdly, a dimensionless parameter Cvariation is proposed to describe the variation of the time-history characteristics, and it is found that Cvariation of lift varies significantly even under close time-averaged performances. Considering the importance of time-history performance in practical applications, the optimization that integrates the propulsion efficiency as well as Cvariation is carried out. The final optimal flapping wing motion balances good time-averaged and time-history performance.

Design and Flight Performance of a Bio-Inspired Hover-Capable Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle with Tail Wing

A key challenge in flapping-wing micro air vehicle (FWMAV) design is to generate high aerodynamic force/torque for improving the vehicle’s maneuverability. This paper presents a bio-inspired hover-capable flapping-wing micro air vehicle, named RoboFly.S, using a cross-tail wing to adjust attitude. We propose a novel flapping mechanism composed of a two-stage linkage mechanism, which has a large flapping angle and high reliability. Combined with the experimentally optimized wings, this flapping mechanism can generate more than 34 g of lift with a total wingspan of 16.5 cm, which is obviously superior to other FWMAVs of the same size. Aerodynamic force/torque measurement systems are used to observe and measure the flapping wing and aerodynamic data of the vehicle. RoboFly.S realizes attitude control utilizing the deflection of the cross-tail wing. Through the design and experiments with tail wing parameters, it is proved that this control method can generate a pitch torque of 2.2 N·mm and a roll torque of 3.55 N·mm with no loss of lift. Flight tests show that the endurance of RoboFly.S can reach more than 2.5 min without interferences. Moreover, the vehicle can carry a load of 3.4 g for flight, which demonstrates its ability to carry sensors for carrying out tasks.

Reynolds-number scaling analysis on lift generation of a flapping and passive rotating wing with an inhomogeneous mass distribution

Insects usually fly by passively rotating wings, which has been applied to the design of flapping-wing Micro-Air Vehicles (MAVs) to reduce mechanical complexity. In this paper, a robotic passive rotating-wing model is designed to investigate wing kinematics and lift generation, which are measured by a high-speed camera and a force transducer, respectively. In addition, flow fields are measured using the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Experimental results demonstrate that passive rotating motion has a coordinative relationship with actively stroking motion. As the stroke amplitude or frequency increases, the rotating amplitude is enlarged. To characterize the active stroking motion, a driving Reynolds number Redriving is defined, which varies from 68 to 366 in this study. Moving the gravity center of the wing towards trailing edge induces the increase of additional torque M, which decreases the wing rotating amplitude and promotes the advance of wing rotation. We find that the timing of wing rotation is gradually delayed and the mean lift coefficient CL¯ monotonously decreases as Redriving increases. By increasing the additional torque M, CL¯ is slightly improved and approaches to the lift coefficient of a real fruit fly at driving Re approximately equal to 230. The instantaneous lifts combined with the vortical structures further demonstrate that the lift generation associated with wing rotation is mainly attributed to the growth of the Leading-Edge Vortex (LEV) and the passive wake capture mechanism. Passive wake capture is influenced by LEV, reversal stroke motion and wing additional torque together, which can only maintain the lift at a high level for a considerable period. The high-lift generation mechanisms of flapping and passive rotating flight could shed light on the simplified design of MAVs and the improvement of their aerodynamic performance.

Effect of Gurney Flap on the Aerodynamic Performance of a Flapping Foil: Micro-Aerial Vehicle Application

Abstract Even with its small size, the Gurney flap (GF) can help considerably in increasing the lift of foils and wings. To exploit this feature, the objective of this research was to numerically study the effects of this flow control device on the aerodynamic performance of oscillating foils for micro-aerial vehicle (MAV) applications. Three sets of each important parameter were selected: the height (0.01c, 0.04c, and 0.16c), angle (45 deg, 90 deg, and 135 deg) and location from trailing edge (T.E, 0.05c and 0.1c). A two-dimensional laminar, incompressible Navier–Stokes equation solver was used to computationally investigate the effect of the Gurney flap on the aerodynamic performance of a flat plate (chord length = 10 mm and thickness = 0.03c). It was found that the best aerodynamic performance was obtained when the Gurney flap was installed at the trailing edge with a height of 0.04c and mount angle of 90 deg. The height of the Gurney flap had a major impact on aerodynamic performance. Results showed an increase of 23.5% in mean lift coefficient, 15.5% in maximum lift coefficient, and 5% in power economy as compared to flat plate, which is accredited to the increase in effective camber and the formation of counter-rotating vortices, decreasing the adverse pressure gradient. The weakening of counter-rotating vortices downstream of Gurney flap could also be the contributing factor to its good performance. The results suggest that the Gurney flap may be useful in enhancing the performance of wings for bio-inspired flapping wing MAVs.

Intelligent finite-time formation control for flapping wing micro aerial vehicles

This paper investigates the intelligent finite time formation control for multiple Flapping wing micro aerial vehicles (FWMAVs) system. Firstly, the translational and the rotational attitude motion equations are proposed based on the Lagrangian equation for FWMAVs. The motion system is decouple into an internal and an external dual loop subsystems. An adaptive neural network estimation algorithm is proposed based on the internal and external double loop system of the coupled model to effectively estimate the uncertainties and the external disturbances of the model. In addition, two effective intelligent control protocols are presented for the translational and the rotational attitude motion subsystem, respectively, by utilizing potential energy function, generalized inverse matrix, and finite-time stability. The main contribution of this paper is the case that, four control objectives are achieved for multiple FWMAVs system, including the estimation of uncertainties, collision avoidance, connectivity preservation, and finite time convergence. Finally, a simulation example of formation tracking control is given by using matlab software in the numerical simulation part, and the effectiveness of the obtained results and the superiority of the control protocol are verified.

Micro Air Vehicles in India - An Overview

The genesis of the Micro Air Vehicles (MICAV) program and its progress in the last decade is discussed. Fixed, rotary and flapping wing MICAVs (300 mm class) have been successfully flown using remote control by Educational Institutions, Laboratories and enthusiastic entrepreneurs, transmitting video imagery. They are now moving on to autonomous control and its integration with navigation and guidance. The need for micro-sensors has led to work on convergence of micro, nano, bio, info and cogno technologies which are discussed. The need for simulation and cooperative flying of MICAVs with UGVs is stressed and finally the thrust areas for the next five years have been suggested for aerodynamics, structures, control, navigation, guidance, sensors (including bio sensors), power sources, simulation and operations involving brain-machine interface.

Takeoff of a 2.1 g Fully Untethered Tailless Flapping-Wing Micro Aerial Vehicle With Integrated Battery

Insect-scale micro-aerial vehicles (MAV) are becoming increasingly important for sensing and mapping spatially constrained environments. However, achieving untethered flight powered by a small and lightweight on-board energy source remains a challenge. In this study, we successfully demonstrated the untethered takeoff of a flapping-wing MAV powered by a commercially available LiPo battery for a short duration without stability control. By incorporating a high-efficiency direct-drive piezoelectric actuator, and an optimized control circuit for high-impedance-width modulation and charge recovery, this electronics configuration realizes over 5 min of practical operation with a thrust of 1.5 times its own weight, while offering wireless communication capability and sensors for attitude estimation. Our MAV has a total mass of 2.1 g, which is an eight-fold reduction compared to the lightest battery-powered tailless flapping-wing MAV currently available, making this the first report of a battery-powered tailless flapping-wing MAV with insect-scale weight.

A robust data-driven model for flapping aerodynamics under different hovering kinematics

Flapping wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs) are highly maneuverable, bio-inspired drones that can assist in surveys and rescue missions. Flapping wings generate various unsteady lift enhancement mechanisms challenging the derivation of reduced models to predict instantaneous aerodynamic performance. In this work, we propose a robust data-driven, quasi-steady reduced order model (ROM) to predict the lift and drag coefficients within a flapping cycle. The model is derived for a rigid ellipsoid wing with different parameterized kinematics in hovering conditions. The proposed ROM is built via a two-stage regression. The first stage, defined as “in-cycle” (IC), computes the parameters of a regression linking the aerodynamic coefficients to the instantaneous wing state. The second stage, defined as “out-of-cycle,” links the IC weights to the flapping features that define the flapping motion. The training and test datasets were generated via high-fidelity simulations using the overset method, spanning a wide range of Reynolds numbers and flapping kinematics. The two-stage regressor combines ridge regression and Gaussian process regression to provide estimates of the model uncertainties. The proposed ROM shows accurate aerodynamic predictions for a wide range of kinematics. The model performs best for smooth kinematics that generates a stable leading edge vortex (LEV). Remarkably accurate predictions are also observed in dynamic scenarios where the LEV is partially shed, the non-circulatory forces are considerable, and the wing encounters its own wake.

Feedback and Control of Linear Electromagnetic Actuators for Flapping Wing MAVs

We present a method for generating feedback and controlling multi-coil linear electromagnetic actuators for flapping wing systems. This has been achieved with a system capable of self-lifting, constructed using 3D-printed structures and miniaturised electromagnetic actuators with a combined weight of 3.07 g. Combining multiple magnets and coils into a single actuator with onboard feedback sensors has improved power densities upon existing linear electromagnetic systems present in the literature. The use of closed-loop control of the dynamics of the flapping profile allows for independent control of both flapping frequency and amplitude, which is differentiated from open-loop and resonance-based systems. This change will allow relatively precise control over the flapping dynamics of future systems while improving actuation efficiency.

Aerodynamic Analysis and Design Optimization of a Novel Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle in Hovering Flight

Inspired by the challenging and nimble flight dynamics of flying insects and birds, this research investigates bionic propulsion technology to develop an improved flapping wing micro air vehicle (FWMAV) design. Following the bionic formula, a prototype is preliminarily designed to achieve multi-attitude flight. Then, kinematic modeling is employed for further data analysis. A meshless particle hydrodynamics method is adopted to explore an optimized flapping driving mechanism and understand the influence of the flapping frequency, flapping amplitude, and quick-return characteristics of one side of the symmetrical mechanism on aerodynamic performance. Based on the aerodynamic model, force measurement experiments are developed to verify simulation availability and investigate the importance of wing flexibility. The numerical analysis results demonstrate that the average lift is approximately proportional to the flapping frequency, flapping-wing amplitude, and quick-return characteristics. Further optimization is conducted to find the best design parameters setting because of the complicated coupling relationship between the flapping wing amplitude and quick-return characteristics. Moreover, the optimized wing property supports high aerodynamic performance via experimental analysis in hovering flight.

Design and fabrication of shape memory alloy based 4D-printed actuator for FWMAV: A performance study

Flapping Wing Micro Aerial Vehicles (FWMAVs) use flapping wings to create lift and thrust, akin to bird flight. In this work, we seek to design and fabricate a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) based 4D-printed actuator that behaves as a wing structure to achieve the desired flapping action in an FWMAV. The integration of SMA in the static matrix facilitates the desired motion by bending SMA as a response to a stimulus. The properties of SMA such as the work density, stroke angle, etc., are greatly enhanced in contrast to more complex, conventional motor-driven mechanisms. The study includes the investigation of the actuator's performance, which is evaluated using image processing based on parameters such as the stroke angle, actuation speed, and recovery force, and helps in utilizing the actuator based on the needs and demands of specific targeted applications by referring to the baseline data recorded by conducting a series of experiments.

Hardware in the loop simulation and implementation of a dragonfly-like MAV using clap and fling mechanism

The main aim of this paper is to model and simulate flight dynamics and to design a controller for a dragonfly-like micro aerial vehicle (MAV). This MAV has flapping wings using a clap and fling mechanism with a rigid abdomen. Kane’s method is applied to derive the longitudinal motion equations of the MAV as a multi-body system. Then, the aerodynamic lift and drag forces of the MAV are obtained. These equations are substituted in the derived motion equations. Furthermore, a new structure for a dragonfly-like flapping wing MAV is presented in which abdomen motion is considered in the longitudinal mode. In this work, the use of the abdomen is also formulated. A change in the motor’s speed generates differential thrust that creates a pitch moment as a control input. State space linearized equations of motion are presented by using appropriate assumptions in the aerodynamics, and dynamic nonlinear equations. To validate the linearized model, the response of the open-loop linear system is compared with the nonlinear one. In addition, the positive role of the abdomen in the open loop is discussed and analyzed. Finally, an LQR controller is designed for the pitch mode which is robust against disturbances. The validity, effectiveness, and performance of the derived equations and designed autopilot are shown by implemented hardware in the loop testbed using a fixed abdomen. Results demonstrate a good agreement between theoretical and experimental responses with accurate hovering at the desired angle.