Development of a Novel Tailless X-Type Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle with Independent Electric Drive

A novel tailless X-type flapping-wing micro air vehicle with two pairs of independent drive wings is designed and fabricated in this paper. Due to the complexity and unsteady of the flapping wing mechanism, the geometric and kinematic parameters of flapping wings significantly influence the aerodyna...

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Main Authors: Yixin Zhang, Song Zeng, Shenghua Zhu, Shaoping Wang, Xingjian Wang, Yinan Miao, Le Jia, Xinyu Yang, Mengqi Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Biomimetics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/9/11/671
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author Yixin Zhang
Song Zeng
Shenghua Zhu
Shaoping Wang
Xingjian Wang
Yinan Miao
Le Jia
Xinyu Yang
Mengqi Yang
author_facet Yixin Zhang
Song Zeng
Shenghua Zhu
Shaoping Wang
Xingjian Wang
Yinan Miao
Le Jia
Xinyu Yang
Mengqi Yang
author_sort Yixin Zhang
collection DOAJ
description A novel tailless X-type flapping-wing micro air vehicle with two pairs of independent drive wings is designed and fabricated in this paper. Due to the complexity and unsteady of the flapping wing mechanism, the geometric and kinematic parameters of flapping wings significantly influence the aerodynamic characteristics of the bio-inspired flying robot. The wings of the vehicle are vector-controlled independently on both sides, enhancing the maneuverability and robustness of the system. Unique flight control strategy enables the aircraft to have multiple flight modes such as fast forward flight, sharp turn and hovering. The aerodynamics of the prototype is analyzed via the lattice Boltzmann method of computational fluid dynamics. The chordwise flexible deformation of the wing is implemented via designing a segmented rigid model. The clap-and-peel mechanism to improve the aerodynamic lift is revealed, and two air jets in one cycle are shown. Moreover, the dynamics experiment for the novel vehicle is implemented to investigate the kinematic parameters that affect the generation of thrust and maneuver moment via a 6-axis load cell. Optimized parameters of the flapping wing motion and structure are obtained to improve flight dynamics. Finally, the prototype realizes controllable take-off and flight from the ground.
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id doaj-art-8bacf53407834f948b7cbaa9db9cc499
institution OA Journals
issn 2313-7673
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Biomimetics
spelling doaj-art-8bacf53407834f948b7cbaa9db9cc4992025-08-20T02:08:12ZengMDPI AGBiomimetics2313-76732024-11-0191167110.3390/biomimetics9110671Development of a Novel Tailless X-Type Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle with Independent Electric DriveYixin Zhang0Song Zeng1Shenghua Zhu2Shaoping Wang3Xingjian Wang4Yinan Miao5Le Jia6Xinyu Yang7Mengqi Yang8School of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, ChinaSchool of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, ChinaSchool of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, ChinaSchool of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, ChinaSchool of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, ChinaSchool of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, ChinaSchool of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, ChinaSchool of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, ChinaSchool of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, ChinaA novel tailless X-type flapping-wing micro air vehicle with two pairs of independent drive wings is designed and fabricated in this paper. Due to the complexity and unsteady of the flapping wing mechanism, the geometric and kinematic parameters of flapping wings significantly influence the aerodynamic characteristics of the bio-inspired flying robot. The wings of the vehicle are vector-controlled independently on both sides, enhancing the maneuverability and robustness of the system. Unique flight control strategy enables the aircraft to have multiple flight modes such as fast forward flight, sharp turn and hovering. The aerodynamics of the prototype is analyzed via the lattice Boltzmann method of computational fluid dynamics. The chordwise flexible deformation of the wing is implemented via designing a segmented rigid model. The clap-and-peel mechanism to improve the aerodynamic lift is revealed, and two air jets in one cycle are shown. Moreover, the dynamics experiment for the novel vehicle is implemented to investigate the kinematic parameters that affect the generation of thrust and maneuver moment via a 6-axis load cell. Optimized parameters of the flapping wing motion and structure are obtained to improve flight dynamics. Finally, the prototype realizes controllable take-off and flight from the ground.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/9/11/671bio-inspired robotflapping-wing air vehicletailless controllattice Boltzmann methodclap-and-peel
spellingShingle Yixin Zhang
Song Zeng
Shenghua Zhu
Shaoping Wang
Xingjian Wang
Yinan Miao
Le Jia
Xinyu Yang
Mengqi Yang
Development of a Novel Tailless X-Type Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle with Independent Electric Drive
Biomimetics
bio-inspired robot
flapping-wing air vehicle
tailless control
lattice Boltzmann method
clap-and-peel
title Development of a Novel Tailless X-Type Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle with Independent Electric Drive
title_full Development of a Novel Tailless X-Type Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle with Independent Electric Drive
title_fullStr Development of a Novel Tailless X-Type Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle with Independent Electric Drive
title_full_unstemmed Development of a Novel Tailless X-Type Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle with Independent Electric Drive
title_short Development of a Novel Tailless X-Type Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle with Independent Electric Drive
title_sort development of a novel tailless x type flapping wing micro air vehicle with independent electric drive
topic bio-inspired robot
flapping-wing air vehicle
tailless control
lattice Boltzmann method
clap-and-peel
url https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/9/11/671
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