| Unique among all nature's fliers, flying insects exhibit extreme maneuverability along with the ability to navigate in constricted environments. Advances in microrobotics, electroactive and composite materials, along with a greater understanding of the time-varying aero-dynamic forces generated by insect wings have lead to the exploration of millimeter-scale flapping-wing autonomous robotic insects. The micromechanical flying insect (MFI) project has the goal of creating a flying insect capable of sustained autonomous flight. This work describes the MFI project in detail with close attention to the design and construction of a thorax and wing transmission system, high power density actuators, and a class of biologically inspired sensors along with empirical results from each. |
