Bionic Vibrating-wing Aircraft, Machine Butterfly

How will we fly in the future?

  • Fundamental scientific research on butterfly and Machine Papilio
  • Machine Morpho Helena's test flight
  • Bionic Monarchs carry out task of photograph and image-transmitting
  • Morpho Helena, the most beautiful butterfly.
  • Monarchs, the butterfly with great endurance.
  • Queen Alexandra's Birdwing, the biggest butterfly.

     The flying creatures existent in nature are summarized under two main parts, the birds with flapping-wing and the insects with vibrating-wing. The vibrating -wing is unique to insects and is superior to birds' flapping-wing. There are many differences between the two modes, for example bird wings have neurons while insect wings have veins, and birds have usually a tail that acts as the rudder and keeps it balance while insects don't. Insect wings produce power, lift and maneuverability, they adjust adaptively the frequency, amplitude and angle to follow ailflows, that's why insect can fly safely and flexibly for a long time with very low consumption.

     It is always a dream for human being to fly like an insect. We have studied various vibrating-wing flying creatures, and found their generality and particularity in flying. After years of research on some butterflies, we finally solved the riddle of vibrating flight of insects, then established the scientific theory of bionic hydrodynamics and low Reynolds number aerodynamics of vibrating-wing aircraft. Based on this, we developed successfully several prototypes of bionic vibrating-wing aircraft, the core technologies in which have been patented in 2004.

     We are now concentrating on manned vibrating-wing aircraft, it is featured with low consumption, high maneuverability and safety like insects. We believe that our bionic aircraft will make the dream of flying like an insect come true soon.

     Aviation technology is always on the frontier, with each crossing of it, the world changed. This innovation have broken new ground in exploring " how will we fly in the future?". NCA's bionic vibrating-wing products and its derivatives will be widely used in flying vehicle, for example one-man portable flapping vehicle, flight vehicle in complex environment, near space aerostat, long endurance aircraft with high maneuvering at middle and low altitude, triphibian vehicle, general aircraft, etc.

     

    Video

    Bionic Vibrating-wing  Machine Butterfly's Fundamental Research and Engineering Experiments 2001-2012

    Learn More

    A Talk with Dr. Danny H. Y. Li

    from World Flight (2014 No.10-12)