Relation between Wing Structure and Thrust of Flapping Micro-Mechanism Driven by External Magnetic Field

Abstract

This article deals with thrust improvement of a flapping micro-mechanism driven by external magnetic fields. The flapping wing is attached to a magnet supported by a torsion wire and produces thrust by drag difference during up and down strokes. At first, the wing with a length of 6mm was examined by varying the structure such as the wing shape and the initial horizontal angle. As a result, the thrust was greatly improved by making the wing close to an ideal motion. Next, based on this finding, the flapping mechanism with wings reduced to 4mm was fabricated and could successfully fly in low magnetic fields.