Deploying and folding wings without power might be useful in a tight spot
The rhinoceros beetle turns out to be an unlikely source of engineering inspiration for tiny flying robots that can fold their wings when resting or after a collision.
Beetles offer one of the most complex wing mechanisms among flying insects. For example, rhinoceros beetles open their wings by releasing the elytra simultaneously with a partial release of the hindwings at their bases. As the creature begins to flap, its hindwing bases rise and unfold like origami. The study also shows that after a flight concludes, the beetle can use its front wings to push the hindwings back into the resting position, which provides more evidence of their passive movement."We validated the hypothesis using a flapping microrobot that passively deployed its wings for stable, controlled flight and retracted them neatly upon landing, demonstrating a simple, yet effective, approach to the design of insect-like flying micromachines," the study said.
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