Flapping
Related papers: 20
About
Flapping refers to the oscillatory, reciprocating motion of wings or fin-like appendages used to generate lift, thrust, and maneuverability in both biological flyers and swimmers. In nature, insects, birds, and aquatic animals exploit flapping to produce aerodynamic or hydrodynamic forces through complex unsteady mechanisms—such as leading edge vortices, wing-wake interactions, and rotational accelerations—that far exceed what simple quasi-steady models predict. In robotics and AI, flapping principles are applied to design biomimetic micro aerial vehicles (MAVs), underwater robots, and hybrid aerial-aquatic systems that replicate these biological strategies at various scales. Engineers must address challenges including actuator selection, structural flexibility, passive and active stabilization, and flight control algorithms to achieve stable, efficient locomotion. Flapping-wing systems matter because they offer compelling advantages over conventional rotary or fixed-wing designs at small scales, including greater agility, energy efficiency, and the ability to operate in constrained or turbulent environments. Understanding and replicating flapping mechanics continues to drive advances in miniaturized robotics, bio-inspired design, and autonomous vehicle control.
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Top Cited Papers
The aerodynamics of insect flight
Sanjay P. Sane
Citations: 1238 • 2003
Untethered flight of an insect-sized flapping-wing microscale aerial vehicle
Noah T. Jafferis, E. Farrell Helbling, Michael Karpelson, Robert J. Wood
Citations: 537 • 2019
Rotational accelerations stabilize leading edge vortices on revolving fly wings
David Lentink, Michael H. Dickinson
Citations: 521 • 2009
Unsteady forces and flows in low Reynolds number hovering flight:two-dimensional computations<i>vs</i>robotic wing experiments
Z. Jane Wang, James M. Birch, Michael H. Dickinson
Citations: 508 • 2003
Biomimetic shark skin: design, fabrication and hydrodynamic function
Li Wen, James C. Weaver, George Lauder
Citations: 454 • 2014
Force production and flow structure of the leading edge vortex on flapping wings at high and low Reynolds numbers
James M. Birch, William Dickson, Michael H. Dickinson
Citations: 431 • 2004
The influence of wing–wake interactions on the production of aerodynamic forces in flapping flight
James M. Birch, Michael H. Dickinson
Citations: 401 • 2003
Fish biorobotics: kinematics and hydrodynamics of self-propulsion
George Lauder, Erik J. Anderson, James L. Tangorra, Peter G. Madden
Citations: 359 • 2007
Flapping flight for biomimetic robotic insects: part I-system modeling
Xinyan Deng, Luca Schenato, W.C. Wu, S. Shankar Sastry
Citations: 350 • 2006
A biologically inspired, flapping-wing, hybrid aerial-aquatic microrobot
Yufeng Chen, Hongqiang Wang, E. Farrell Helbling, Noah T. Jafferis, Raphael Zufferey, Aaron Ong, Kevin Ma, Pakpong Chirarattananon, Mirko Kovač, Robert J. Wood
Citations: 286 • 2017
Design and Locomotion Control of a Biomimetic Underwater Vehicle With Fin Propulsion
Chunlin Zhou, K. H. Low
Citations: 284 • 2011
Flapping flight for biomimetic robotic insects: part II-flight control design
Xinyan Deng, Luca Schenato, S. Shankar Sastry
Citations: 274 • 2006
Aerodynamic effects of flexibility in flapping wings
Liang Zhao, Qingfeng Huang, Xinyan Deng, Sanjay P. Sane
Citations: 272 • 2009
Aeromechanics of passive rotation in flapping flight
John P. Whitney, Robert J. Wood
Citations: 269 • 2010
Short-amplitude high-frequency wing strokes determine the aerodynamics of honeybee flight
Douglas L. Altshuler, William Dickson, Jason T. Vance, Michael H. Dickinson
Citations: 243 • 2005
The aerodynamic effects of wing–wing interaction in flapping insect wings
Fritz‐Olaf Lehmann, Sanjay P. Sane, Michael H. Dickinson
Citations: 221 • 2005
Insect-inspired, tailless, hover-capable flapping-wing robots: Recent progress, challenges, and future directions
Hoang Vu Phan, Hoon Cheol Park
Citations: 191 • 2019
The fluid dynamics of flight control by kinematic phase lag variation between two robotic insect wings
Will J. Maybury, Fritz‐Olaf Lehmann
Citations: 176 • 2004
Active and passive stabilization of body pitch in insect flight
Leif Ristroph, Gunnar Ristroph, Svetlana Morozova, Attila Bergou, Song Chang, John Guckenheimer, Z. Jane Wang, Itai Cohen
Citations: 169 • 2013
A turtle-like swimming robot using a smart soft composite (SSC) structure
Hyung-Jung Kim, Sung-Hyuk Song, Sung‐Hoon Ahn
Citations: 166 • 2012