Singh Balbir, Yidris Noorfaizal, Basri Adi Azriff, Pai Raghuvir, Ahmad Kamarul Arifin
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia.
Department of Aeronautical and Automobile Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, India.
Micromachines (Basel). 2021 May 2;12(5):511. doi: 10.3390/mi12050511.
In terms of their flight and unusual aerodynamic characteristics, mosquitoes have become a new insect of interest. Despite transmitting the most significant infectious diseases globally, mosquitoes are still among the great flyers. Depending on their size, they typically beat at a high flapping frequency in the range of 600 to 800 Hz. Flapping also lets them conceal their presence, flirt, and help them remain aloft. Their long, slender wings navigate between the most anterior and posterior wing positions through a stroke amplitude about 40 to 45°, way different from their natural counterparts (>120°). Most insects use leading-edge vortex for lift, but mosquitoes have additional aerodynamic characteristics: rotational drag, wake capture reinforcement of the trailing-edge vortex, and added mass effect. A comprehensive look at the use of these three mechanisms needs to be undertaken-the pros and cons of high-frequency, low-stroke angles, operating far beyond the normal kinematic boundary compared to other insects, and the impact on the design improvements of miniature drones and for flight in low-density atmospheres such as Mars. This paper systematically reviews these unique unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of mosquito flight, responding to the potential questions from some of these discoveries as per the existing literature. This paper also reviews state-of-the-art insect-inspired robots that are close in design to mosquitoes. The findings suggest that mosquito-based small robots can be an excellent choice for flight in a low-density environment such as Mars.
就其飞行和独特的空气动力学特性而言，蚊子已成为一种新的受关注昆虫。尽管蚊子传播着全球最严重的传染病，但它们仍是出色的飞行者之一。根据其体型，它们通常以600至800赫兹的高频拍打翅膀。拍打翅膀还能让它们隐藏自己的存在、进行求偶行为，并帮助它们保持在空中飞行。它们又长又细的翅膀通过约40至45°的冲程幅度在最前和最后的翅膀位置之间移动，这与它们的自然同类（>120°）有很大不同。大多数昆虫利用前缘涡产生升力，但蚊子还有其他空气动力学特性：旋转阻力、尾缘涡的尾流捕获增强以及附加质量效应。需要全面研究这三种机制的应用——与其他昆虫相比，高频、低冲程角度且在远超正常运动学边界的情况下运行的利弊，以及对微型无人机设计改进和在火星等低密度大气中飞行的影响。本文系统地综述了蚊子飞行的这些独特的非定常空气动力学特性，并根据现有文献回答了其中一些发现可能引发的问题。本文还综述了在设计上与蚊子相近的最新受昆虫启发的机器人。研究结果表明，基于蚊子的小型机器人可能是在火星等低密度环境中飞行的绝佳选择。
