Humbot: Bio-Inspired Hummingbird Aircraft

Overview

To strengthen the current aerodynamic abilities of drones, various ornithopters were prototyped based on the hummingbird’s unique method of flight. Each model used a consistent assortment of light carbon-fiber rods, mylar, ABS gears, micro-motors, ESC mini-receivers, and a BETAFPV-remote, while wing shapes and flight-systems differed. Following each model’s construction, computational fluid dynamic simulations (CFDs) were used to verify the physical results: sustained flight, energy-consumption, and wing-oscillation speeds assessments. Initially, a barebones model body built with a rubber band-powered staggered crank system was used as control for future models, to test varying wing aspect ratios of hummingbird species from the Mellisuga helenae (3) to Calypte anna (4.5). Each physical prototype was replicated digitally in a 3-dimensional model that was placed through artificial physics simulations. A wing aspect ratio of around 4.3 was found to be ideal for unsteady aerodynamic flight, and used in all following models. The physical tests for later models revealed the importance of having a high angle of attack and the effectiveness of a four-wing duo dual-crank motor system, which had a 112% increase in efficiency when compared to the standard dual-crank gearbox, despite the additional parasitic drag being generated from the increased surface area. The CFDs revealed ideal body-shapes, wing aspect ratios, and strong correlations between the center of gravity and the incident angle. The current system successfully replicates the hummingbird’s ability in generating thrust from both up and downstrokes, as one paired wing is always traveling in a lift-generating downstroke in every flap.

Competition history

• AJAS 2024 Category not listed

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