Development and experimental characterization of a robotic butterfly with a mass shifter mechanism

Abstract

The development of biomimetic aerial robots has emerged as a new solution for studying the flight mechanisms of flying creatures. This study designs a biomimetic robotic butterfly steered via a mass shift mechanism named USTButterfly-II and investigates its flight characteristics using an optical tracking facility. First, a planar four-bar linkage was used to drive the flapping of the designed butterfly-like artificial wings. Next, an innovative tailless steering control method was proposed based on a mass shift mechanism. Finally, the wing kinematics and motion trajectory of the USTButterfly-II were measured using a multi-camera motion capture system, and some difficult-to-measure flapping aerodynamic parameters, such as the instantaneous net lift and thrust coefficients, were determined. These findings present a novel experimental framework that not only provides effective data support for the design and improvement of the robotic butterfly but also benefits the study of biological butterfly flight mechanisms.