Bird-Inspired Spatial Flapping Wing Mechanism via Coupled Linkages with Single Actuator

TL;DR

This paper introduces a bird-inspired flapping-wing mechanism using coupled spatial linkages driven by a single motor, enabling coordinated wing motion and passive folding with reduced complexity.

Contribution

It presents a simplified kinematic design methodology for Bennett linkages and demonstrates a lightweight, passive folding mechanism for bio-inspired robotics.

Findings

Prototype successfully demonstrates spatial sweeping and folding motion.

Passive switching between wing configurations is achieved mechanically.

Single-actuator design reduces weight and control complexity.

Abstract

Spatial single-loop mechanisms such as Bennett linkages offer a unique combination of one-degree-of-freedom actuation and nontrivial spatial trajectories, making them attractive for lightweight bio-inspired robotic design. However, although they appear simple and elegant, the geometric task-based synthesis is rather complicated and often avoided in engineering tasks due to the mathematical complexity involved. This paper presents a bird-inspired flapping-wing mechanism built from two coupled spatial four-bars, driven by a single motor. One linkage is actuated to generate the desired spatial sweeping stroke, while the serially coupled linkage remains unactuated and passively switches between extended and folded wing configurations over the stroke cycle. We introduce a simplified kinematic methodology for constructing Bennett linkages from quadrilaterals that contain a desired surface area and further leverage mechanically induced passive state switching. This architecture realizes a coordinated sweep-and-fold wing motion with a single actuation input, reducing weight and control complexity. A 3D-printed prototype is assembled and tested, demonstrating the intended spatial stroke and passive folding behavior.