1271836781

Photo by: Ernst Himmelsbach

Ernst Himmelsbach

A Dragonfly's Highly Evolved Flying Technique is Perfect for Drones

By: Robin Fearon

Dragonflies are nature’s most agile insect fliers and likely the most accomplished anywhere on Earth. Their ability to move in any direction at high speed or hover in one spot makes them the perfect model for robotic flight.

August 24, 2021

Now researchers are engineering future drones to copy the dragonfly’s aerobatic skill.

Aeronautics specialists from the University of South Australia spent months studying the insect’s flight, creating 3D models and prototypes from digital images, to build a winged drone. Study leader Javaan Chahal believes that flapping wing drones based on the dragonfly’s shape and movement will simply be more maneuverable and energy efficient.

“They can turn quickly at high speeds and take off while carrying more than three times their own body weight,” says Chahal. “They are also one of nature's most effective predators, targeting, chasing, and capturing their prey with a 95 percent success rate.”

Dragonflies evolved their highly developed flying abilities and survival instincts over millions of years. Once male dragonflies emerge from their underwater larval stage, they spend most of their adult life–up to six months–in aerial combat against rivals, hunting, and avoiding predators.

Chahal’s team used a special photography technique to classify the wing geometry of 75 different dragonfly species from museum collections. Long, light, and rigid, the wings have a high lift-to-drag ratio and exceptional aerodynamic qualities. Plus, their long bodies give them excellent stability and balance.

497333085

Extreme close up of dragonfly wing geometry.

Photo by: PhotoAlto/Odilon Dimier

PhotoAlto/Odilon Dimier

Extreme close up of dragonfly wing geometry.

Dragonfly-imitating drones could be ideal for collecting and delivering awkward loads, say the researchers, undertaking long surveillance missions and exploring fragile natural environments with ease.

Investigating the way that dragonflies remain stable during flight also reveals the techniques they use to get themselves out of tricky situations. Imperial College London coupled high-speed cameras with tiny magnets and motion tracking dots showing dragonflies performing upside-down backflips to regain balance and normal flight, when they find themselves upside down mid-air.

This skill can even be performed while dragonflies are unconscious, meaning it is a passive stability mechanism similar in concept to planes that are designed to glide to safety with their engines turned off. Engineers are looking to copy the shape and joint stiffness of dragonfly wings to create safer drones that can right themselves.

Of course, not all attempts to build dragonfly-like drones are successful. TechJet’s crowdfunded ornithopter was supposed to operate as an aerial camera, surveillance and security drone, but it failed before production got underway.

A similar scheme at Oxford University spin-out Animal Dynamics–called the Skeeter micro-drone–is currently being funded to develop a commercial product. Both projects owe a debt to the CIA’s ‘Insectothopter’ – a dragonfly spy drone built in the 1970s that was eventually abandoned.

Ken Hibbard, Mission Systems Engineer for the Dragonfly mission, shows the one quarter scale 3D-printed model of the quadcopter drone named Dragonfly that will land on Titan in 2034 during an interview at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland, on July 2, 2019. - Elizabeth Tuttle was overjoyed when, on June 26, she received a call from NASA: her project to send a drone copter to Titan, Saturn's largest moon, was given the green light and a budget of nearly a billion dollars. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)        (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

1153735684

Ken Hibbard, NASA Mission Systems Engineer, shows the one-quarter-scale 3D-printed model of the quadcopter drone named Dragonfly that will land on Titan in 2034.

Photo by: JIM WATSON

JIM WATSON

Ken Hibbard, NASA Mission Systems Engineer, shows the one-quarter-scale 3D-printed model of the quadcopter drone named Dragonfly that will land on Titan in 2034.


Yet the principles behind dragonfly drones are solid. In fact, NASA has settled on a nuclear-powered autonomous craft called Dragonfly to probe the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan in 2034. NASA’s project is actually a quadcopter, rather than a winged drone, but engineers are still convinced they can crack the code of nature’s most gifted flying insect and revolutionize unmanned flight along the way.

Next Up

Drone Images of Coastal Kelp Show Recovery is Possible

California’s coastal kelp forests could be making a welcome revival. Drone images show seaweed beds recovering along the north coast in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.

Insect Feed Can Transform the Farming Industry

Feeding insects to farm animals could be the environmental revolution that the livestock industry has been waiting for. Insects, a rich source of protein and part of the natural diet for pigs, poultry, and fish, use a fraction of the land and water needed to raise soybeans for feed and produce lower carbon emissions.

Canadian Museum Rediscovers a New Ancient Shark Species - The First of its Kind

The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre has recently “rediscovered” an ancient shark skeleton that has been sitting in the museum’s collection for nearly 50 years. Could this shark be a part of a newly discovered ancient shark species?

Blind Dogs Can Still Play Fetch. A Newfound Nose-to-Brain Connection Explains Why.

Why are dogs such great sniffers? A new canine connection shows powerful brain links between dogs’ sense of smell and sight.

Solar-Powered Robots are the Sustainable Answer to a Cleaner, Connected Planet

Solar energy is virtually unlimited and one of the cleanest forms of renewable power. So building machines driven by the sun makes perfect environmental sense.

Disaster Zone Technology Gives Rescue Missions the Edge

Disaster zones operate on tight timelines. Minutes, or even seconds, can be the difference between life and death when people are trapped by rubble, collapsed buildings, or rising waters.

Digital Twins are a Virtual Replica of Everything

Imagine a world where every car or plane, every patient, every building, or even entire cities have their own virtual, real-time computerized replica--a digital double.

Facial Recognition for Grizzly Bears

New A.I. technology is allowing scientists to keep track of individual grizzlies over their lifetimes.

Can You Teach a Goldfish to Drive?

A new experiment suggests these household fish actually make good drivers.

‘Bird Brain’ May Have Helped Birds Survive the Dinosaur Extinction

Recently, a fossil of an ancient bird skull was discovered, shedding light on how birds’ large brains may have helped them survive the dinosaur-killing asteroid.

Related To: