ORNITHOPTER TESTBED TO DISCOVER FORCES PRODUCED BY FLAPPING WING MOVEMENT

An ornithopter is a biologically inspired robot that produces lift by flapping its wings. Many hobby-sized ornithopters currently exist, however, large-scale models have been historically unsuccessful. Continuing last year’s MQP, a new testbed was developed to replicate various wing stroke patterns and measure relevant forces. A custom four bar linkage mechanism, capable of generating multiple coupler curves, was created to manually adjust the wing trajectory. The testbed utilizes load cells, an encoder, IMU, and a LabVIEW interface to gather forces and corresponding position data. In future projects, this testbed can be used to test and develop optimal wing design and wing tip pattern for ornithopter innovation