Motion analysis of butterfly-style flapping robot for different wing and body design

Abstract

In this study, we manufactured small butterfly-style flapping robots with wing veins and investigated their flight characteristics for different design parameters such as swept-forward wing angle and center of mass (COM). The butterfly-style flapping robot is characterized by a total mass of less than 1 g, the COM at its rear, a tailless wing, a few degrees of freedom (DOF), a low aspect ratio, a low flapping frequency of 10 Hz, and a wide flapping angle from 90 deg to -90 deg. The experimental results showed that the body pitch angle was controlled by the swept-forward wing angle and by the relative positions of the COM and center of lift (COL), and that the model with a swept-forward wing angle of 20 deg and a ldquofar-rearrdquo COM was more suitable than that with a swept-forward wing angle of 0 deg and a ldquonear-rearrdquo COM for butterfly-style flight.