Beetle flight patterns set to inform micro aircraft design

Dr MinJun Kim from Drexel University’s Mechanical Engineering Department is leading a team of engineers in researching the function and aerodynamics of the Allomyrina dichotoma beetle.

According to a statement, Kim’s research aims to study the movements of a beetle’s wing by controlling its motion remotely via four electrodes implanted in its body.

The team, working in collaboration with Konkuk University in South Korea, then films the flight of the beetle from take-off to landing while electrical currents direct the extension, contraction, direction and flapping frequency of the wings.

The use of a wind tunnel allows the researchers to see how air currents move around the wings during flight.

‘A quantitative investigation of aerodynamics and wing kinematics in beetle flight will shed new light on the evolution of flapping flight in nature,’ Kim said. ‘Furthermore, experimental study of the aerodynamic performance of beetles in forward/hovering flight will provide insight into designs for efficient and stable flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles.’