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Li Y, Li K, Fu F, Li Y, Li B. The Functions of Phasic Wing-Tip Folding on Flapping-Wing Aerodynamics. Biomimetics (Basel) 2024; 9:183. [PMID: 38534868 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics9030183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Insects produce a variety of highly acrobatic maneuvers in flight owing to their ability to achieve various wing-stroke trajectories. Among them, beetles can quickly change their flight velocities and make agile turns. In this work, we report a newly discovered phasic wing-tip-folding phenomenon and its aerodynamic basis in beetles. The wings' flapping trajectories and aerodynamic forces of the tethered flying beetles were recorded simultaneously via motion capture cameras and a force sensor, respectively. The results verified that phasic active spanwise-folding and deployment (PASFD) can exist during flapping flight. The folding of the wing-tips of beetles significantly decreased aerodynamic forces without any changes in flapping frequency. Specifically, compared with no-folding-and-deployment wings, the lift and forward thrust generated by bilateral-folding-and-deployment wings reduced by 52.2% and 63.0%, respectively. Moreover, unilateral-folding-and-deployment flapping flight was found, which produced a lateral force (8.65 mN). Therefore, a micro-flapping-wing mechanism with PASFD was then designed, fabricated, and tested in a motion capture and force measurement system to validate its phasic folding functions and aerodynamic performance under different operating frequencies. The results successfully demonstrated a significant decrease in flight forces. This work provides valuable insights for the development of flapping-wing micro-air-vehicles with high maneuverability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Intelligent Morphing Mechanisms and Adaptive Robots, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Key University Laboratory of Mechanism & Machine Theory and Intelligent Unmanned Systems of Guangdong, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Keyu Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Intelligent Morphing Mechanisms and Adaptive Robots, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Key University Laboratory of Mechanism & Machine Theory and Intelligent Unmanned Systems of Guangdong, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Fang Fu
- College of Art and Design, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yao Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Intelligent Morphing Mechanisms and Adaptive Robots, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Key University Laboratory of Mechanism & Machine Theory and Intelligent Unmanned Systems of Guangdong, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Bing Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Intelligent Morphing Mechanisms and Adaptive Robots, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Key University Laboratory of Mechanism & Machine Theory and Intelligent Unmanned Systems of Guangdong, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
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Xu NW, Townsend JP, Costello JH, Colin SP, Gemmell BJ, Dabiri JO. Developing Biohybrid Robotic Jellyfish ( Aurelia aurita) for Free-swimming Tests in the Laboratory and in the Field. Bio Protoc 2021; 11:e3974. [PMID: 33889668 PMCID: PMC8054175 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.3974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Biohybrid robotics is a growing field that incorporates both live tissues and engineered materials to build robots that address current limitations in robots, including high power consumption and low damage tolerance. One approach is to use microelectronics to enhance whole organisms, which has previously been achieved to control the locomotion of insects. However, the robotic control of jellyfish swimming offers additional advantages, with the potential to become a new ocean monitoring tool in conjunction with existing technologies. Here, we delineate protocols to build a self-contained swim controller using commercially available microelectronics, embed the device into live jellyfish, and calculate vertical swimming speeds in both laboratory conditions and coastal waters. Using these methods, we previously demonstrated enhanced swimming speeds up to threefold, compared to natural jellyfish swimming, in laboratory and in situ experiments. These results offered insights into both designing low-power robots and probing the structure-function of basal organisms. Future iterations of these biohybrid robotic jellyfish could be used for practical applications in ocean monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole W. Xu
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Graduate Aerospace Laboratories (GALCIT), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - James P. Townsend
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Providence College, Providence, RI, USA
| | - John H. Costello
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Providence College, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Sean P. Colin
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA
- Department of Marine Biology and Environmental Science, Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI, USA
| | - Brad J. Gemmell
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - John O. Dabiri
- Graduate Aerospace Laboratories (GALCIT), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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Abstract
An insect–computer hybrid robot, often referred to as a biological machine or an insect cyborg, is the fusion of a living insect platform and artificial microdevices, including stimulators, sensors, and computers. When compared with the artificial robots, a hybrid robot can be operated as an autonomous mobile machine with low energy consumption and hardware costs. A hybrid machine can verify various biological hypotheses, such as function determination, by stimulating a muscle or any other structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Li
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore
| | - Hirotaka Sato
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore
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Li Y, Wu J, Sato H. Feedback Control-Based Navigation of a Flying Insect-Machine Hybrid Robot. Soft Robot 2018; 5:365-374. [PMID: 29722607 DOI: 10.1089/soro.2017.0118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
This study reports the first ever demonstration of the aero navigation of a free-flying insect based on feedback control. Instead of imitating the complicated kinetics and mechanisms of insect locomotion, a live insect can be directly transformed into a soft robot by embedding it with artificial devices. Since many insects can perform acrobatics aerially, thereby exhibiting far greater flexibility than current man-made flyers, correctly commanding the internal structures of an insect to perform based on the instructions would be a breakthrough. Herein, beetles (Mecynorrhina torquata) were chosen as the flying platform, and an inertial measurement unit-implemented electronic backpack was designed and manufactured to remotely command the beetles. To achieve horizontal flight control, multiple flight muscles of the beetles, that is, the basalar and third axillary muscles were stimulated to control the flight directions. However, the beetles were found to gradually adapt to the electrical stimulation, and the flight corrections were elicited by generating compensatory flight forces during a long-lasting stimulation (>300 ms), which were revealed by the decrease in induced lateral force. Based on this finding, a proportional derivative feedback controller was designed to navigate the flying beetles based on the predetermined path using frequency-dependent electrical pulses. To avoid a continuous stimulation, we proposed a stimulation protocol which separated two stimulations with a 50-ms rest. Compared to long stimulations (>300 ms), a 150-ms stimulation with 200-ms update interval was more efficient in correcting the flight direction of the beetles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Li
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jinbin Wu
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hirotaka Sato
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore, Singapore
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Li Y, Cao F, Vo Doan TT, Sato H. Role of outstretched forelegs of flying beetles revealed and demonstrated by remote leg stimulation in free flight. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:3499-3507. [PMID: 28754717 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.159376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In flight, many insects fold their forelegs tightly close to the body, which naturally decreases drag or air resistance. However, flying beetles stretch out their forelegs for some reason. Why do they adopt this posture in flight? Here, we show the role of the stretched forelegs in flight of the beetle Mecynorrhina torquata Using leg motion tracking and electromyography in flight, we found that the forelegs were voluntarily swung clockwise in yaw to induce counter-clockwise rotation of the body for turning left, and vice versa. Furthermore, we demonstrated remote control of left-right turnings in flight by swinging the forelegs via a remote electrical stimulator for the leg muscles. The results and demonstration reveal that the beetle's forelegs play a supplemental role in directional steering during flight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Li
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
| | - Feng Cao
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
| | - Tat Thang Vo Doan
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
| | - Hirotaka Sato
- School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
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