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Bird-inspired reflexive morphing enables rudderless flight.

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Rudderless flight is achieved by mimicking bird reflexes. PigeonBot II, a biohybrid robot, uses morphing wings and tail to stabilize and control flight, confirming how birds fly without tails and inspiring new aircraft designs.

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Area of Science:

  • Robotics
  • Bio-inspired engineering
  • Aerodynamics

Background:

  • Birds fly stably without vertical tails, unlike most aircraft.
  • Existing rudderless aircraft use complex actuators or fixed designs.
  • Birds are hypothesized to use wing and tail reflexes for stability and control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how birds achieve stable rudderless flight.
  • To develop a biohybrid robot demonstrating bird-like rudderless flight.
  • To confirm the role of reflex functions in avian flight stability.

Main Methods:

  • Developed PigeonBot II, a rudderless biohybrid robot with morphing wings and tail.
  • Tuned an adaptive reflexive controller in a wind tunnel to counter turbulence.
  • Enabled autonomous flight in the atmosphere using pigeon-like poses.

Main Results:

  • PigeonBot II successfully damped Dutch roll instability.
  • The robot controlled flight using reflexive wing and tail morphing.
  • Autonomous flight in turbulence was achieved, mimicking pigeon flight dynamics.

Conclusions:

  • Mechanistically confirmed that birds use reflex functions for rudderless flight.
  • Demonstrated the efficacy of bio-inspired adaptive reflexive control for aircraft.
  • PigeonBot II inspires rudderless aircraft with reduced radar signatures and enhanced performance.