Design and manufacturing of flapping wing mechanisms for micro air vehicles

Stringent size, weight, and power constraints imposed on flapping-wing micro-air-vehicles (FWMAVs) make their design quite challenging. In particular, the flapping actuating mechanism represents a corner stone in the design of the whole vehicle, if not the most challenging task. In this paper, we provide a review on the several designs of flapping mechanisms in literature a\nd compare their performances. We also provide our design and manufacturing iterations that culminated in a novel design of a FWMAV actuating mechanism that actively controls both the wing flapping (back and forth) and pitching motions using only one drive motor. In this design, we use a parallel crank rocker mechanism. Synthesis and optimization of the parallel crank rockers allowed independent control of the wing flapping and pitching angles. That is, the two angles are allowed to simultaneously follow specific independent functions using only one drive motor. The designed mechanism is manufactured (3D printed), tested, and found to successfully achieve the desired wing motions that mimic the motion of a hummingbird wing.