Design and Development of Butterfly Robot

Abstract

Flight is less susceptible to external influence such as friction and resistance than other methods of transportation such as walking and wheeled vehicles, and can move quickly and high-efficiently. Among the flight methods is flapping flight that has evolved over hundreds of millions of years for life forms to achieve higher efficiency.Butterfly flight requires considerably less flapping of wings than other insects, which indicates high energy efficiency and quietness. In this study, we develop lightweight wings that can withstand the load caused by flapping, a body that reproduces the butterfly’s flapping motion by means of a crank mechanism and elastic links, and a micro ultrasonic motor for use in a butterfly-shaped robot. Using these components, we aim to fabricate an insectscale butterfly robot.