Bettle inspired drone can actually fly despite being heavier
Swiss engineers have created a drone that is similar in appearance and design to beetles
The robo-bug has a retractable wing, which is normally hidden behind the elytra and extends from there before takeoff.
In this case, the elytra perform not only a protective function, but also increase the lift during flight.
Insects from the order Coleoptera, have a pair of elytra in addition to the main pair of wings.
These rigid structures cover the wings out of flight and protect them from damage.
But research has shown that this is not their only function, and the elytra are more than just protection that beetles have to carry with them during flight.
It turned out that they significantly increase the lifting force of the insect, and also increase the permissible angle of attack at which stalling does not occur.
Charalampos Vourtsis, together with colleagues from the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne, created a drone with an artificial analogue of the elytra.
It has a folding wing, consisting of two sections on each side, and elytra covering them. They unfold and fold by servomotors in a split second.
And at the rear of the drone there are two pushing propellers that tilt vertically if necessary, allowing you to control the direction of flight.
The authors performed CFD simulations and showed that the elytra create additional lift.
In addition, they conducted an experiment in a wind tunnel, however, they used a model with a single, rather than two-section, wing.
Analysis of the air flow movement showed that the elytra increase the permissible angle of attack from 14 to 20 degrees.
After experimenting with the model, the engineers sent the robo-bug flying and showed that it could fly in a controlled manner, despite the additional mass from the wing and accompanying servos.
Source:
- IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9591382
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