Bio-inspired Multidisciplinary Design of Flapping-wing Micro Air Vehicle with Flexible, Multifunctional Structures

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K04838
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 24010:Aerospace engineering-related
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University (2020-2022); Kyushu University (2019)
• Principal Investigator: Nagai Hiroto 長崎大学, 工学研究科, 准教授 (50510674)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 長崎 秀司 九州大学, 工学研究院, 助教 (00304741) ; 藤田 浩輝 日本文理大学, 工学部, 教授 (00315110) ; 有薗 仁 国立研究開発法人宇宙航空研究開発機構, 航空技術部門, 主任研究開発員 (00371097)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 羽ばたき翼 / Micro Air Vehicle / 複合領域設計解析 / ドローン / 生物規範工学 / 空力弾性学 / 柔軟構造 / 飛行制御

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Biomimetic flapping-wing type micro air vehicles (FWMAVs) have been developed around the worlds as a human-friendly small drone. However, there is still a large gap of flight performances between the FWMAVs and flying animals, such as birds and insects. The key technologies to fill the gap are a biological design, which has flexible, multifunctional, compact structural systems. To attain such a biological flexible design in FWMAVs, it is important to consider the highly coupled phenomena among the configured systems, such as aerodynamics around the flapping wings, elastic deformation of the structures, flapping actuating mechanisms, flight dynamics and controls. In this study, we have developed the multidisciplinary design analysis for the coupling phenomena among the components of a FWMAV.

Free Research Field

航空宇宙工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

現在の回転翼を用いた飛翔ドローンは人間との親和性が低く，都市空間での自由な飛行は制限されている．生物の柔軟で多機能な設計を取り入れた羽ばたき型ドローンは，高い安全性と静音性を有し，人間親和型ドローンとして，人々の生活に溶け込んだ運用が期待されている．本研究は，剛なパーツの組み合わせから成る従来の機械的な設計から脱却し，より生物に近づいた柔軟な設計を目指すことで，人とドローンとの共生社会の実現に貢献するものである．