Abstract
This paper presents analysis and design of a flapping robot with membrane wings. We develop an analysis method of aerodynamic forces for flapping movements for the robot. The optimal aspect ratio for a flapping robot with the membrane wings is designed through the numerical simulation that considers not only the analysis method of aerodynamic forces but also the load of a motor and the mechanical structure between the motor and the membrane wings. The simulation results show that the flapping efficiency for membrane wings is better than that for rigid wings. The experimental results agree well with the simulation results based on the proposed analysis method of aerodynamic forces.
