Development of an innovative air vehicle based on a flight of a bird

Abstract

Recently, Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) has been actively developed. It’s used in various situations, such as checking the situation in the event of a disaster, exploration of Mars. In these situations, MAV needs to be able to keep flying in strong crosswinds and turbulence. These conditions can be seen during flight of flying animals such as birds and insects. Their flight has the characteristics of high maneuverability and robustness for disturbances such as high winds and gusts. The purpose of this study is to develop a flexible flapping wing more closely mimic the bird’s wing structure and to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of this wing model by fluid force measurements. Using this wing, a small wireless bird-like flying robot will be fabricated, and a system for detecting flight conditions will be also developed to realize a stable flapping wing flight.