title: Controlled flight of a biologically inspired, insect-scale robot.
abstract: Flies are among the most agile flying creatures on Earth. To mimic this aerial prowess in a similarly sized robot requires tiny, high-efficiency mechanical components that pose miniaturization challenges governed by force-scaling laws, suggesting unconventional solutions for propulsion, actuation, and manufacturing. To this end, we developed high-power-density piezoelectric flight muscles and a manufacturing methodology capable of rapidly prototyping articulated, flexure-based sub-millimeter mechanisms. We built an 80-milligram, insect-scale, flapping-wing robot modeled loosely on the morphology of flies. Using a modular approach to flight control that relies on limited information about the robot's dynamics, we demonstrated tethered but unconstrained stable hovering and basic controlled flight maneuvers. The result validates a sufficient suite of innovations for achieving artificial, insect-like flight.
authors: School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. kevinma@seas.harvard.edu
authors: Kevin Y
authors: KY
authors: Ma
authors: Pakpong
authors: P
authors: Chirarattananon
authors: Sawyer B
authors: SB
authors: Fuller
authors: Robert J
authors: RJ
authors: Wood
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D040761:Biomimetic Materials; D004175:Diptera / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D004330:Drosophila / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D005426:Flight, Animal; D008904:Miniaturization; D009132:Muscles / Q000502:physiology; D012371:Robotics; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology