Development of a Bird-type Flapping Flying Robot with Foldable Wings for Bounding Flight

Abstract

Bounding flight is a form of flight in which small birds, such as sparrows, quickly flap their wings to gain upward momentum and then fold their wings for ballistic flight. The bounding flight reduces the number of wing flaps, which is expected to reduce battery consumption. The flapping motion is made possible by a gearbox with a crank mechanism. Folding motion is made possible by a micro servo motor and a link mechanism made of carbon plates.