Three-DoF Flapping-Wing Robot with Variable-Amplitude Link Mechanism

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a three-degrees-of-freedom flapping-wing robot with a variable-amplitude link mechanism for controlling the lift and thrust forces acting on it. The variable-amplitude link mechanism comprises a lever-crank mechanism driven by a brushless DC motor and a linear actuator to control the amplitude of the flapping angle. The robot also comprises two DC motors with reduction gears for feathering and lead-lag motion. In our experiments, the measurement of force-torque revealed the effects of the motion of each wing. We found that the flapping-amplitude difference between the left and right wings causes a roll and yaw moment.