Inventing a Micro Aerial Vehicle Inspired by the Mechanics of Dragonfly Flight

摘要

Dragonfly flight is unique: Dragonflies can manoeuvre in all directions, glide without having to beat their wings and hover in the air. Their ability to move each of their four wings independently enables them to slow down and turn abruptly, to accelerate swiftly and even to fly backwards. We looked into the mechanics of the dragonfly flight and managed to transfer its flight dynamics into an ultralight flying object: the BionicOpter. With a wingspan of 63 cm and a body length of 44 cm, the model dragonfly weighs just 175 g. A brushless motor actuates the four wings and is used to alter the flapping frequency. Eight servo motors allow the amplitude and the twisting angle of each wing to be changed independently making the BionicOpter almost as agile and fast as its natural role model. Here we present how dragonfly flight dynamics can inspire future design of MAVs.