Design, Dynamics, and Energetics of a Meso-Scale Flapping-Wing Robot

Abstract

Biological fliers are capable of extremely agile and efficient flight. Man-made flapping-wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs) on the scale of insects and small birds have been used to understand and mimic the behaviors of their biological counterparts. Several insects and small birds perform intermittent flight, alternating active flapping and passive gliding or bounding phases. Understanding the dynamics and energetics of this flight mode could offer improvements to FWMAV performance and efficiency. This dissertation presents the design and analysis of the 3.9 g Harvard RoboMoth, a power-autonomous vehicle capable of flap-gliding intermittent flight at the scale of a large insect. We discuss the challenges of design and fabrication of such a vehicle and how they were addressed. Modeling and simulation are used to describe the coupled wing/transmission behavior and the overall flight vehicle behavior. We verify these models with experimental data to further characterize and improve the performance and efficiency of the system. Finally, we demonstrate intermittent flap-gliding flight and examine the energetics of the system. With an understanding of the full vehicle behavior, the RoboMoth is a good platform for additional controls and energetics experiments.