Design of A Servo-Articulated 4-Degree-of-Freedom Tail for the Flying Control of A Bio-Mimicking Eagle Bird Robot Volume 3 - Issue 1

Nickols F* and Lin Y J

• Tedi-London University and Northern Illinois University

Received:July 16, 2021   Published: August 4, 2021

Corresponding author: F Nickols, Senior Teaching Fellow, Tedi-London University, Printworks, Surrey Quays Road, London

DOI: 10.32474/ARME.2021.03.000155

Fulltext PDF

To view the Full Article   Peer-reviewed Article PDF

Abstract

This paper describes the design principles and manufacturing techniques behind the construction of a life-size 4 degree- offreedom robot bird tail that mimics the pygostyle articulation of a 2.4-meter wingspan eagle bird. The tail provides for elevatorpitch and rudder-yaw control as well as a significant degree of lift that supplements the lift from the main wing. The tail is an articulated feather-like design that is modelled on the pygostyle of a real eagle bird. The design was based on (i) research into bird anatomy from avian anatomy books and (ii) studying slow-motion eagle flight manoeuvres from YouTube video clips. Future work concerns experimental work into validating the mechanics and aerodynamics of its design together with reduction of its weight.

Keywords: Biomimicking Eagle Bird Tail; Feather-Skeletal Accurate Bird Tail; Morphing Robot Bird Tail; Robot Bird Yaw-Pitch Control; Robot Bird Tail Manufacturing Process; Robot Feather Fanning Mechanism; Robot Pygostyle

Abstract| Background to the Tail| Robot Tail Overview| Feather Opening and Closing Action| Design and Theory of the Pygostyle Opening and Closing Mechanism| Manufacture of the Feathers and Pygostyle| Future Work| References|