Active control of flapping wings using wing deformation

Abstract

A new method for the attitude control of a flapping-wing aircraft is proposed. In this method, the variations in wing deformation, that is, the feathering angle and the camber, are controlled by pulling the wing at a certain point with a thread connected to a servomotor. The experimental setup for verifying the practicability of this method was developed, and aerodynamic forces and wing deformation were measured. It was concluded that thread control caused effective wing deformation, and the variation in the deformation generated the pitching moment that controls the attitude of a flapping-wing aircraft. © 2009 The Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences.