Accession Number:

ADA621719

Title:

PECASE: Soaring Mechanisms for Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicles

Descriptive Note:

Final rept. 22 Mar 2010-31 Dec 2014

Corporate Author:

HARVARD UNIV CAMBRIDGE MA

Personal Author(s):

• Wood, Robert J.

Report Date:

2015-03-31

Pagination or Media Count:

10.0

Abstract:

In the PECASE program, we address another challenge of small-scale flight energetics. Gliding forward flight potentially alleviates both of these challenges since gliding requires minimal power and forward flight can achieve passive stability e.g. using a positive wing dihedral. Many insects effectively use gliding modes to extend flight duration - for example. Monarch butterflies travel greater than 50 miles per day during migration and thousands of miles in aggregate. The PECASE program elucidated generate energy-optimal strategies for flappinggliding intermittent flight through the development of a robotic insect capable of bio-inspired flappinggliding flight and a thorough characterization of the energetics of this flight mode. The overall objective is to elucidate the role of intermittent flight in biology and apply this to increase the performance of insect-scale MAVs.

Descriptors:

• *FLIGHT
• GLIDE PATH SYSTEMS

Subject Categories:

• Aerodynamics
• Pilotless Aircraft

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE