Bioinspired Design of a Flapping Wing Aerial Vehicle With Mechanical Amplification: Modelling, Optimisation, and Performance Impact

This paper presents a novel design for flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles (FWMAVs), develops a multiphysics reduced-order mathematical model, and optimises the system for a specific case study. Furthermore, it demonstrates the necessity of the multiphysics model for effective optimisation through a sensitivity analysis. By utilising mechanical resonance, the design amplifies wing stroke and pitching motions, reducing the energy requirement while enhancing lift production. The proposed design is simpler than competing FWMAVs, eliminating the need for complex transmissions and thereby achieving significant weight savings - a challenge that is particularly difficult to overcome at this scale. The mathematical model integrates the electromechanical characteristics of piezoelectric materials with structural dynamics and aerodynamics. Numerical simulations using MATLAB and Simulink demonstrate the advantages of dynamic amplification, producing a stroke angle 4.38 times greater than the actuator tip angle. This amplification allows for generating enough lift to overcome the vehicle’s weight. For a case study, the model predicts a stroke angle of 22.66 °, a pitching angle of 66.73 °, a lift generation of 7 mN, and an efficiency of about 35.28 % at the first resonant frequency of about 130.73 Hz. This design approach offers a promising pathway for developing high-performance FWMAVs, with potential applications in autonomous flight operations.