Hummingbird-inspired smart flapping wings

2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24760197
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Intelligent mechanics/Mechanical systems
• Research Institution: Chiba University
• Principal Investigator: TANAKA Hiroto 千葉大学, 千葉大学・上海交通大学国際共同研究センター, 特任助教 (80624725)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2014-03-31
• Keywords: 羽ばたき飛行 / ハチドリ / ホバリング / 生物規範工学 / バイオミメティクス

Research Abstract

Aiming to develop small flapping aerial robots capable of hovering flight, we measured wing motions and shapes of a real hummingbird in hovering flight using multiple high-speed video cameras and motion analysis software. To realize wing deformation like the real hummingbird wing in artificial wings with light-weight structures and mechanisms, the wing films was relaxed in order to enhance passive feathering deformation. As a result, the wing with the relaxed film generated higher average lift than the wing with a tight film, which was comparable to the body weight of the hummingbird. The relaxed film also improved efficiency represented as a ratio of average lift to input power.

Research Products

• [Presentation] Passive wing deformation of hovering hummingbirds (2014)
  • Author(s): H. Tanaka, K. Suga, M. Maeda, I. Kitamura and H. Liu
  • Organizer: in The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology Annual Main Meeting 2014 (SICB 2014)
  • Place of Presentation: Austin, TX, USA
  • Year and Date: 20140103-07
• [Presentation] Lift generation of hummingbird wing models with flexible loosened membranes (2013)
  • Author(s): H. Tanaka, H. Suzuki, I. Kitamura, M. Maeda and H. Liu
  • Organizer: in IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)
  • Place of Presentation: Tokyo, Japan
  • Year and Date: 20131103-08
• [Presentation] Morphing wings of a hovering hummingbird (2013)
  • Author(s): H. Tanaka, I. Kitamura, M. Maeda, T. Nakata and H. Liu
  • Organizer: in The Society for Experimental Biology Annual Main Meeting 2013, in The Society for Experimental Biology Annual Main Meeting 2013
  • Place of Presentation: Valencia Conference Centre, Valencia, Spain, (General Biomechanics Best Poster 3rd Prize)
  • Year and Date: 20130703-06
• [Remarks] 子供向けワークショップ:田中博人, "体験ワークショップ「ハチドリの飛行のヒミツ～羽ばたきロボットが空を飛ぶ!?」," in 2014年春休み特別展「4億年、昆虫との手紙展。バイオミメティクス―いきものに学ぶイノベーション」,科学技術館,東京, 20140328
• [Remarks] 市民向け講演:田中博人, "空飛ぶハチドリのヒミツ-飛行生物のエアロダイナミクス-," in鳥博セミナー,鳥の博物館,千葉県我孫子市, 20131006