Abstract
Flapping-wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs) have demonstrated remarkable bio-inspired agility, yet tailless two-winged configurations remain largely unexplored due to their complex fluid-structure and wing-body coupling. Here we present \textit{AirPulse}, a 26-gram butterfly-inspired FWMAV that achieves fully onboard, closed-loop, untethered flight without auxiliary control surfaces. The AirPulse robot replicates key biomechanical traits of butterfly flight, including low wing aspect ratio, compliant carbon-fiber-reinforced wings, and low-frequency, high-amplitude flapping that induces cyclic variations in the center of gravity and moment of inertia, producing characteristic body undulation. We establish a quantitative mapping between flapping modulation parameters and force-torque generation, and introduce the Stroke Timing Asymmetry Rhythm (STAR) generator, enabling smooth, stable, and linearly parameterized wingstroke asymmetry for flapping control. Integrating these with an attitude controller, the AirPulse robot maintains pitch and yaw stability despite strong oscillatory dynamics. Free-flight experiments demonstrate stable climbing and turning maneuvers via either angle offset or stroke timing modulation, marking the first onboard controlled flight of the lightest two-winged, tailless butterfly-inspired FWMAV reported in peer-reviewed literature. This work corroborates a foundational platform for lightweight, collision-proof FWMAVs, bridging biological inspiration with practical aerial robotics. Their non-invasive maneuverability is ideally suited for real-world applications, such as confined-space inspection and ecological monitoring, inaccessible to traditional drones, while their biomechanical fidelity provides a physical model to decode the principles underlying the erratic yet efficient flight of real butterflies.
Abstract (translated)
振翅微型飞行器（FWMAV）已经展示了生物启发的高度敏捷性，但无尾双翼配置由于其复杂的流体-结构耦合和翼身耦合问题，至今仍较少被探索。本文介绍了名为“AirPulse”的26克蝴蝶启发式FWMAV，它实现了完全自主、闭环的无绳飞行，无需辅助控制表面。AirPulse机器人复制了蝴蝶飞行的关键生物力学特性，包括低翼展比、柔性的碳纤维增强翅膀以及低频高振幅拍打，这种拍打方式导致重心和转动惯量的周期性变化，从而产生特征性的身体摆动。 我们建立了一个关于拍打调节参数与力矩产生的定量映射，并引入了击翅时间不对称节奏（STAR）生成器，使翼扇不对称能够平滑、稳定且线性地调整飞行控制。结合这些技术和姿态控制器后，AirPulse机器人能够在强烈的振荡动力学下保持俯仰和偏航稳定性。自由飞行实验表明，通过角度偏移或拍打时间调节，它可以实现稳定的爬升和转弯操作，这是迄今为止在同行评审文献中报告的最轻量级无尾双翼蝴蝶启发式FWMAV自主控制飞行。 这项工作验证了一个为轻型、防撞FWMAV提供的基础平台，它将生物灵感与实用的空中机器人技术相结合。它们非侵入性的机动性非常适合传统无人机无法进入的实际应用领域，例如狭窄空间检查和生态监测，并且它们的高度机械逼真度提供了一种物理模型，用于解码真实蝴蝶飞行中混乱却又高效的基本原理。
URL
https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.06811
