Background:Unlike resident birds,migratory birds are generally believed to have evolved to enhance flight efficiency;however,direct evidence is still scarce due to the difficulty of measuring the flight speed and mech...Background:Unlike resident birds,migratory birds are generally believed to have evolved to enhance flight efficiency;however,direct evidence is still scarce due to the difficulty of measuring the flight speed and mechanical power.Methods:We studied the differences in morphology,flight kinematics,and energy cost between two passerines with comparable size,a migrant(Fringilla montifringilla,Brambling,BRAM),and a resident(Passer montanus,Eurasian Tree Sparrow,TRSP).Results:The BRAM had longer wings,higher aspect ratio,lower wingbeat frequency,and stroke amplitude compared to the TRSP despite the two species had a comparable body mass.The BRAM had a significantly lower maximum speed,lower power at any specific speed,and thus lower flight energy cost in relative to the TRSP although the two species had a comparable maximum vertical speed and acceleration.Conclusions:Our results suggest that adaptation for migration may have led to reduced power output and maximum speed to increase energy efficiency for migratory flight while residents increase flight speed and speed range adapting to diverse habitats.展开更多
The current work is oriented toward the development of a novel biologically inspired bat aerial robot with morphing wings. Based on the flight characteristics data of natural bats(Eptesicus fuscus), a novel four degre...The current work is oriented toward the development of a novel biologically inspired bat aerial robot with morphing wings. Based on the flight characteristics data of natural bats(Eptesicus fuscus), a novel four degrees of freedom robotic bat wing was developed to emulate the movements of bat wing. The design, fabrication, programing and wind tunnel experiments of the robot bat wing are described in this paper. Based on this robotic wing, the influence of flap amplitude, wind speed, flight frequency, downstroke ratio and stroke plane angle as well as the contributions of flap, elbow, sweep and wrist motions on the aerodynamic force and mechanical power were studied and analyzed. Results of wind tunnel experiments validated that higher lift would bring greater power consumption, and the flap motion would generate the most force and need more energy expenditure compared with other motions of bat. The experimental results suggest that the flap and fold motions are indispensable to make a robotic bat wing that has a better flight performance. This study provides some implications and a better understanding for the future robotic bat.展开更多
基金This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC,31672292)to DL,NSFC(31770445)to Y.Wu,NSFC(31800338)and the Foundation of Hebei Normal University(L042017B03)to Y.Wang.
文摘Background:Unlike resident birds,migratory birds are generally believed to have evolved to enhance flight efficiency;however,direct evidence is still scarce due to the difficulty of measuring the flight speed and mechanical power.Methods:We studied the differences in morphology,flight kinematics,and energy cost between two passerines with comparable size,a migrant(Fringilla montifringilla,Brambling,BRAM),and a resident(Passer montanus,Eurasian Tree Sparrow,TRSP).Results:The BRAM had longer wings,higher aspect ratio,lower wingbeat frequency,and stroke amplitude compared to the TRSP despite the two species had a comparable body mass.The BRAM had a significantly lower maximum speed,lower power at any specific speed,and thus lower flight energy cost in relative to the TRSP although the two species had a comparable maximum vertical speed and acceleration.Conclusions:Our results suggest that adaptation for migration may have led to reduced power output and maximum speed to increase energy efficiency for migratory flight while residents increase flight speed and speed range adapting to diverse habitats.
基金supported by the Joint Training Doctoral Project of China Scholarship CouncilFunds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 3202003905)Scientific Innovation research of College Graduates in Jiangsu Province (Grant No. CXLX12_0080)
文摘The current work is oriented toward the development of a novel biologically inspired bat aerial robot with morphing wings. Based on the flight characteristics data of natural bats(Eptesicus fuscus), a novel four degrees of freedom robotic bat wing was developed to emulate the movements of bat wing. The design, fabrication, programing and wind tunnel experiments of the robot bat wing are described in this paper. Based on this robotic wing, the influence of flap amplitude, wind speed, flight frequency, downstroke ratio and stroke plane angle as well as the contributions of flap, elbow, sweep and wrist motions on the aerodynamic force and mechanical power were studied and analyzed. Results of wind tunnel experiments validated that higher lift would bring greater power consumption, and the flap motion would generate the most force and need more energy expenditure compared with other motions of bat. The experimental results suggest that the flap and fold motions are indispensable to make a robotic bat wing that has a better flight performance. This study provides some implications and a better understanding for the future robotic bat.
