Shiokawa Yuma, Liu Renke, Sawada Hideyuki
Department of Applied Physics, School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan.
Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan.
Biomimetics (Basel). 2025 May 8;10(5):300. doi: 10.3390/biomimetics10050300.
Insect flight mechanisms are highly efficient and involve complex hinge structures that facilitate amplified wing movement through thoracic deformation. However, in the field of flapping-wing robots, the replication of thoracic skeletal structures has received little attention. In this study, we propose and compare two different hinge models inspired by insect flight: an elastic hinge model (EHM) and an axle hinge model (AHM). Both models were fabricated using 3D printing technology using PLA material. The EHM incorporates flexible structures in both the hinge and lateral scutum regions, allowing for deformation-driven wing motion. In contrast, the AHM employs metal pins in the hinge region to reproduce joint-like articulation, while still permitting elastic deformation in the lateral scutum. To evaluate their performance, we employed an SMA actuator to generate flapping motion, and measured the wing displacement, flapping frequency, and exoskeletal deformation. The experimental results demonstrate that the EHM achieves wing flapping through overall structural flexibility, whereas the AHM provides more defined hinge motion while maintaining exoskeletal elasticity. These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of hinge mechanics in bioinspired flapping-wing robots. Future research will focus on optimizing these mechanisms for higher frequency operation, weight reduction, and better energy efficiency.
昆虫飞行机制效率极高，涉及复杂的铰链结构，通过胸部变形促进翅膀放大运动。然而，在扑翼机器人领域，胸部骨骼结构的复制很少受到关注。在本研究中，我们提出并比较了受昆虫飞行启发的两种不同铰链模型：弹性铰链模型（EHM）和轴铰链模型（AHM）。两种模型均使用聚乳酸材料通过3D打印技术制造。EHM在铰链和侧盾片区域均采用了柔性结构，允许变形驱动翅膀运动。相比之下，AHM在铰链区域使用金属销来重现类似关节的铰接，同时仍允许侧盾片发生弹性变形。为了评估它们的性能，我们使用形状记忆合金致动器产生扑翼运动，并测量了翅膀位移、扑翼频率和外骨骼变形。实验结果表明，EHM通过整体结构柔性实现翅膀扑动，而AHM在保持外骨骼弹性的同时提供了更明确的铰链运动。这些发现有助于我们理解铰链力学在仿生扑翼机器人中的作用。未来的研究将集中于优化这些机制，以实现更高频率的运行、减轻重量和提高能源效率。
