Studies on changes in wing flapping in response to air currents in birds and the mechanism of landing on tree branches

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K04364
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 20010:Mechanics and mechatronics-related
• Research Institution: Kyushu Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Ohtake Hiroshi 九州工業大学, 大学院情報工学研究院, 准教授 (60377017)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 羽ばたき飛行ロボット / 筋骨格構造 / ツイストドライブ / 脚ロボット / 風向・風速の推定

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Land birds that live on land or in trees have mobility that allows them to fly without crashing even if turbulence suddenly occurs. They also have strong legs that enable pinpoint landing on tree branches. In this research, we aim to achieve the mobility performance of land birds and landing on tree branches by legs, and obtained the following research results in the three years from 2020 to 2022. 1) Development of a flapping robot that mimics the muscle structure of birds using a twistdrive mechanism, 2) Achievement of synchronous operation of flapping and feathering by two twistdrives. 3) Estimation of the wind direction around the flying robot by the airflow sensor array, and control steering toward the windward direction, 4) Development of a grasping hand whcih can stably grasp tree branches incorporating knowledge of the musculoskeletal system of the legs of birds.

Free Research Field

バイオミメティクス

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

地球環境に適合したエネルギ効率の良い飛行ロボットを実現するためには飛行生物をよく知る必要がある．しかし，飛行生物である鳥類の複雑な翼運動のメカニズムや飛行以外の機能を工学的に再現することは難しく，研究が進んでいない．本研究課題の遂行によってその一端を切り開くことができた．
本研究で取り組んだ筋骨格系の模倣や風の計測および風を利用した飛行制御，樹枝に着陸できる脚の開発やそれらの研究成果は，地球環境に適合したエネルギ効率の良い飛行ロボットの実現に繋がっていくと考えている．