Biologically-Inspired, Anisotropic Flexible wing for Optimal Flapping Flight
A Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) project, funded by AFOSR

Started in August 2007 as a 5-year project, our MURI investigation utilizes the insight gained from biological flight and focuses on hovering and forward flight modes of micro air vehicles (MAVs) with an emphasis on the intrinsically unsteady environment due to wind gust and flapping motion. The targeted parmeters overlap those of bumblebees, hawkmoths, and hummingbirds that will provide biological guidance for the research. Anisotropic structures are typically observed in natural flyer wings, and will be of central interest in our investigation, in particular passive shape control for lift enhancement.

Specifically, the following aspects are being focused on:

• learn from biology,
• flapping kinematics and lift enhancement mechanisms,
• wind gust and multiple time scales due to flapping,
• nonlinear fluid-anisotropic structure interactions,
• information and vision characterization.

Our MURI Team consists of the following Aerospace Engineering faculty: Luis Bernal, Carlos Cesnik, Peretz Friedmann and Wei Shyy. Faculty colleagues from University of Florida and University of Maryland also are our partners.