Thesiss

Recent advances in many fields have made the design of micro-aerial vehicles that implement flapping wings a possibility. However, there are many outstanding problems that must be solved before flapping flight can be implemented as a practical means of propulsion. This dissertat…

Analytical models of avian flight have previously been used to predict mechanical and metabolic power consumption during cruise. These models are limited, in that they neglect details of wing kinematics, and model power by assuming a fixed or rotary wing (actuator disk) weight s…

There is currently growing interest in the field of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs). A MAV is characterized by its low Reynolds numbers flight regime which makes lift and thrust creation a significant challenge. One possible solution inspired by nature is flapping flight, but instead …