Micro Air Vehicles To Emulate The Flying Technique Of Bats

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has released a press news unveiling a sensational Micro Air Vehicle that mimics the flying mechanism of the Bat (Chiropetra). The unnamed flying object uses innovative membrane wings that work like an artificial muscle and balances the system against gravity.

The bat like wings were jointly designed by the University of Southampton and the Computational Research group at Imperial College, London. The flexible wings are made of electro-active polymers which spread and contract as per the requirement. The input voltage precisely controls the shape of the wings, which ultimately improves aerodynamic characteristics.

MAV systems are constantly diversifying its applications in areas such as surveillance. Though contemporary drones have quick reflexes and a decent control system, its wings aren’t strong enough to fly long distances. To aid the current technology, the researchers emphasized on copying the natural flight mechanism of bats. The computational model developed by the team incorporates mammalian flying features inside the electronic model.

Professor Bharath Ganapathisubramani of the University of Southampton's Aerodynamics and Flight Mechanics Group, who was also the team leader of the project claimed that they have successfully exhibited adaptable mechanical wings which respond to the surroundings and alters its movements accordingly. The next step will include the application of the bat’s unique features in real world examples. The research was jointly supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the United States Air Force.

Watch Bat drone to take the sky:


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