Bionic­Flying­Fox

categories

Year

2018

The idea

The characteristics of a flying fox provided the inspiration for an ultralight flying object with intelligent control technology.

The objective

The BionicFlyingFox has an elastic skin and can move semi-autonomously within a defined airspace by means of a motion tracking system.

Technical data

  • Wingspan: 228 cm
  • Body length: 87 cm
  • Weight: 580 g
  • Wing structure material: carbon fibre
  • Wing surface material: knitted elastane with point-welded polyethylene foil
  • Body casing material: milled foam

Function

The wing kinematics are divided into primary and secondary sections. A powerful motor sets the wings in motion via a lever mechanism. Since all the joints are located in a single plane, the individually controllable wings can be completely folded up.

Membrane

The wafer-thin flying membrane consists of two airtight foils and a knitted elastane fabric, which are welded together at approximately 45,000 points. Thanks to its elasticity, the membrane remains virtually free of wrinkles even when the wings are retracted. Its honeycomb structure enables the robotic object to fly even if the bionic tissue suffers minor damage.

Onboard electronics

The onboard electronics control the flight behaviour of the BionicFlyingFox with maximum energy efficiency by means of inertial sensors and complex algorithms. A camera system provides the control commands along with the position data necessary for flight path planning.

Material

BionicFlyingFox