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Insect-machine Hybrid System: Remote Radio Control of a Freely Flying Beetle Mercynorrhina torquata

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Published on: September 2, 2016

Passive wing deployment and retraction in beetles and flapping microrobots.

Hoang-Vu Phan¹, Hoon Cheol Park², Dario Floreano³

¹School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland. hvphan11@gmail.com.

|July 31, 2024

Summary

Rhinoceros beetles deploy hindwings passively, not with muscles. Opening elytra releases wings like a spring, enabling flight and controlled retraction, inspiring new flying microrobots.

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Area of Science:

Biomechanics
Insect flight
Robotics

Background:

Birds and bats use muscles for wing deployment.
Insect wing deployment and retraction mechanisms are unclear and vary by species.
Rhinoceros beetles (Coleoptera) have complex wing deployment.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate hindwing base movements in rhinoceros beetles.
Determine if muscular activity is required for wing deployment.
Explore passive wing deployment mechanisms.

Main Methods:

Observation of wing deployment in Allomyrina dichotoma.
Analysis of hindwing base movements and elytra interaction.
Validation using a flapping microrobot model.

Main Results:

Hindwing deployment in rhinoceros beetles is passive, triggered by elytra release.
Opening elytra creates a spring-like release, allowing wing unfolding.
Elytra assist in passive hindwing retraction after flight.

Conclusions:

Rhinoceros beetles utilize passive wing deployment, challenging previous assumptions.
The passive mechanism is efficient for flight initiation and retraction.
This passive system offers a novel approach for designing insect-like flying microrobots.