Development of a 2g butterfly-style flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle

Abstract

A flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle (FMAV) modeled after a butterfly was developed to realize a palm-sized micro aerial vehicle capable of autonomous flight. It has a wingspan of about 220 mm, a weight of 1.8 g with the drive motor and battery installed, and flaps at a frequency of 7 Hz. The results of flight motion analysis using a high-speed camera showed that this butterfly-style FMAV, which does not rely on an external power source and does not have a tail wing, can fly in a straight line while maintaining a constant altitude with an initial speed given. We were also able to observe the flight trajectory of it, which moved up and down with a flapping motion similar to that of a real butterfly. The development of an FMAV that can fly like an insect is important for the viewpoint of robotics to elucidate the posture control mechanism of insects, which still needs to be clarified. The autonomous flight of this butterfly-style FMAV is significant in this regard.