A wireless radiofrequency-powered insect-scale flapping-wing aerial vehicle

AbstractInsect-scale aerial vehicles are useful tools for communication, environmental sensing and surveying confined spaces. However, the lack of lightweight high-power-density batteries has limited the untethered flight durations of these micro aerial vehicles. Wireless power transmission using radiofrequency electromagnetic waves could potentially offer transmissivity through obstacles, wave-targeting/focusing capabilities and non-mechanical steering of the vehicles via phased-array antennas. But the use of radiofrequency power transmission has so far been limited to larger vehicles. Here we show that a wireless radiofrequency power supply can be used to drive an insect-scale flapping-wing aerial vehicle. We use a sub-gram radiofrequency power receiver with a power-to-weight density of 4,900 W kg–1, which is five times higher than that of off-the-shelf lithium polymer batteries of similar mass. With this system, we demonstrate the untethered take off of the flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle. Our RF-powered aircraft has a mass of 1.8 g and is more than 25 times lighter than previous radiofrequency-powered micro aerial vehicles.

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Analysis of resonant propulsion flapping wing micro aerial vehicle

Mechanika w Lotnictwie ML-XIX 2020 ◽

10.15632/ml2020/327-345 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 327-345

Author(s):

Kun Feng ◽

Krzysztof Sibilski

Keyword(s):

Mathematical Models ◽

Insect Flight ◽

Flapping Wing ◽

Micro Aerial Vehicles ◽

Micro Aerial Vehicle ◽

Aerial Vehicles ◽

Aerial Vehicle ◽

Resonant Property

This article is concerned with the resonant property which is exhibited in insect flight, and analyzes how resonant propulsion works when implemented in powering a flapping wing micro aerial vehicle. This article is divided into three parts. In the first part, information regarding to insect flight, the resonant property, and flapping wing micro aerial vehicles are described. In the second part, mathematical models representing the micro aerial vehicle (basing on the model developed by Bolsman) are applied, simplified and built into simulation in MATLAB. Some interesting properties from the simulations are presented.

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Modeling and trajectory tracking control for flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles

IEEE/CAA Journal of Automatica Sinica ◽

10.1109/jas.2020.1003417 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 148-156

Author(s):

Wei He ◽

Xinxing Mu ◽

Liang Zhang ◽

Yao Zou

Keyword(s):

Trajectory Tracking ◽

Tracking Control ◽

Flapping Wing ◽

Micro Aerial Vehicles ◽

Trajectory Tracking Control ◽

Aerial Vehicles

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Autonomous Loitering Control for a Flapping Wing Miniature Aerial Vehicle With Independent Wing Control

Volume 5A: 38th Mechanisms and Robotics Conference ◽

10.1115/detc2014-34752 ◽

2014 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Luke Roberts ◽

Hugh A. Bruck ◽

Satyandra K. Gupta

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficient ◽

Pid Controller ◽

Control Algorithm ◽

Flapping Wing ◽

Flight Testing ◽

Response Error ◽

Aerial Vehicles ◽

Aerial Vehicle

Flapping wing miniature aerial vehicles (FWMAVs) offer advantages over traditional fixed wing or quadrotor MAV platforms because they are more maneuverable than fixed wing aircraft and are more energy efficient than quadrotors, while being quieter than both. Currently, autonomy in FWMAVs has only been implemented in flapping vehicles without independent wing control, limiting their level of control. We have developed Robo Raven IV, a FWMAV platform with independently controllable wings and an actuated tail controlled by an onboard autopilot system. In this paper, we present the details of Robo Raven IV platform along with a control algorithm that uses a GPS, gyroscope, compass, and custom PID controller to autonomously loiter about a predefined point. We show through simulation that this system has the ability to loiter in a 50 meter radius around a predefined location through the manipulation of the wings and tail. A simulation of the algorithm using characterized GPS and tail response error via a PID controller is also developed. Flight testing of Robo Raven IV demonstrated the success of this platform, even in winds of up to 10 mph.

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Recent progress in flapping wings for micro aerial vehicle applications

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part C Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science ◽

10.1177/0954406220917426 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 095440622091742

Author(s):

Naeem Haider ◽

Aamer Shahzad ◽

Muhammad Nafees Mumtaz Qadri ◽

Syed Irtiza Ali Shah

Keyword(s):

Leading Edge ◽

Flapping Wing ◽

Flapping Wings ◽

Structural Flexibility ◽

Micro Aerial Vehicles ◽

Flexible Wings ◽

Performance Variables ◽

Aerial Vehicles ◽

Wide Range ◽

Wing Geometry

Micro aerial vehicles using flapping wings are under investigation, as an alternative to fixed-wing and rotary-wing micro aerial vehicles. Such flapping-wing vehicles promise key potential advantages of high thrust, agility, and maneuverability, and have a wide range of applications. These applications include both military and commercial domains such as communication relay, search and rescue, visual reconnaissance, and field search. With the advancement in the computational sciences, developments in flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles have progressed exponentially. Such developments require a careful aerodynamic and aeroelastic design of the flapping wing. Therefore, aerodynamic tools are required to study such designs and configurations. In this paper, the role of several parameters is investigated, including the types of flapping wings, the effect of the kinematics and wing geometry (shape, configuration, and structural flexibility) on performance variables such as lift, drag, thrust, and efficiency in various modes of flight. Kinematic variables have a significant effect on the performance of the flapping wing. For instance, a high flap amplitude and pitch rotation, which supports the generation of the strong leading-edge vortex, generates higher thrust. Likewise, wing shape, configuration, and structural flexibility are shown to have a large impact on the performance of the flapping wing. The wing with optimum flexibility maximizes thrust where highly flexible wings lead to performance degradation due to change in the effective angle of attack. This study shows that the development of the flexible flapping wing with performance capabilities similar to those of natural fliers has not yet been achieved. Finally, opportunities for additional research in this field are recommended.

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