Seamless Integration of Adaptive Sensing Layers in Ornithopter Structures for Enhanced Motion Monitoring

Integrating perception function in structural components of smart robots for motion monitoring is highly needed but still challenging due to the deformation limitations of rigid sensing materials and the viscoelastic hysteresis of flexible sensing materials. The seamless integration of a lightweight and adaptive sensing composite layer on the structure support is reported at the leading edge of a bird-like ornithopter for motion monitoring. This perception-integrated structural component is designed by firmly wrapping a carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) rod core in sequence with a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber network, an MXene/carbon nanotubes (CNT) thin conductive layer, and a thermoplastic polyurethane nanofiber protection sheath. The piezoresistive MXene/CNT sensing layer effectively adapts to trace structural changes of the CFRP rod with the help of the PAN nanofiber network, achieving the bend deformation perception of the structural component. More importantly, the perception-integrated structural component enabled flight attitude reproduction and structural damage warning in an actual flight of the ornithopter. This work provides promising solutions for advancing the development of future smart ornithopters, paving the way for more intelligent, compact, and lightweight designs.