Design of a Wing-Morphing, Tailless Aerial Robot for Active Pitch Adjustment during Gliding
Gissler, Ronan O.
2022
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In this work we present the design of a robot inspired by flying squirrels that can actively adjust pitch mid-flight to modulate its gliding performance. The robot controls its pitch angle by sliding its two wings along the length of its body, thereby shifting the Center-of-Pressure (COP)—where the aerodynamic force acts—relative to the Center-of-Mass (COM)—where the weight force acts. After ... read moreconstructing the robot, we tested its passive gliding performance when dropped by hand from a ladder in a small indoor space equipped with motion capture cameras. Through an iterative process, the robot wings were made several times larger than that of the flying squirrel in order for the robot to display comparable gliding behavior given that the space limitations of the room made a tall drop or launch of the robot infeasible. The motion capture data provided useful insight into the aerodynamics of a passive glider without flight control, but future tests are required to analyze how shifting the wings during flight can impact pitch and gliding performance—the original goal of this work.
Thesis (B.S.M.E.)--Tufts University, 2022.
Submitted to the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.
Advisor: Matthew Woodward.
Committee: Chris Rogers and Erica Kemmerling.read less - ID:
- 6t053w94q
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