Biomimetic analysis of insect wing kinematics for flapping MAVs

Abstract

Despite significant interest for over a decade in developing micro air vehicles (MAVs) that mimic the flight performance exhibited by insects, no design has achieved this challenge. This has principally been due to limitations in actuation devices, which have resulted in constrained flapping motions that require conventional rudder and aileron control surfaces. Recent advances in "artificial muscle" actuation technologies mean that reproducing the complex wing kinematics of insects with sufficient power density for MAV flight has become feasible. Consequently, there is a need to analyse the wing kinematics of insects and how they are modulated for controlled, manoeuvrable flight. It is also important to understand how wing kinematics affect the unsteady aerodynamic mechanisms that crucially augment lift and thrust force production. In this paper a biomimetic analysis of insect wing kinematics based on established biological literature is presented, that aims to aid the development of agile and controllable flapping MAVs.