A Testing Platform for Flapping-Wing Robots

The validation and optimization of the design of flapping-wing robots (FWRs) are difficult. The wind-tunnel instrument usually used in the performance testing of FWRs is expensive. This work introduces a simple and low-cost testing platform that can be conveniently used to test the FWRs. The platform is mainly composed of a rotating mechanism, a control system, a force and image data acquisition system, and an FWR for testing. The influences of the flapping frequency f, angle of attack α, and incoming flow speed v on FWR performance can be tested with the platform. The force analysis of the platform shows the feasibility of the platform design. A prototype of the platform was built for testing the performance of a bird sized large-scale FWR. The results showed that f, α, and v have evident effects on the lift and thrust of the FWR. The deformation of the wings during flapping could improve the aerodynamic performance of the FWR as the testing results indicated. The platform can be utilized for further optimization of the FWR.