An Aerodynamics Calculation Method of a Flapping Wing Flying Robot Based on StateSpace Airloads Theory The creation of Flappingwing aerial vehicles (FAVs) which mimic birds to fly by flapping its wings spawns renewed interest in flapping wing flight. How aerodynamic loads are produced by flapping wings is one of the key issues to design highperformance FAVs. This paper develops a method for calculating flapping aerodynamic loads based on statespace airloads theory and calculates the aerodynamic loads of our FAV HITHawk in different working conditions. Besides, a series of experiments are designed to validate the accuracy of this method. The comparison results showed that this method provides a good accuracy for lift calculation, while the thrust calculation results do not match the experimental results commendably.

Study on SelfTakeoff of a Flapping Robot without Running: Influence of the Initial Pitch Angle on the Takeoff Trajectory Recently, research on flapping robots inspired by the behavior of insects and birds has become a focus of attention in the fields of robotics and biomimetics. However, most flapping robots require an operator or an assistance device to take off. The goal of this study was to develop a flapping robot that can achieve selftakeoff without running and can be used like a drone. This paper describes the development and evaluation of the flapping robot developed with this aim. The developed robot can generate a thrust that exceeds its own weight with a simple flapping mechanism and a lightweight design. The airspeed was simulated using the thrust measured with a force sensor and the resistance coefficient estimated in a gliding experiment, and it was found to exceed the minimum airspeed required to achieve takeoff 0.3 s from the onset of flapping. The result of the takeoff experiment demonstrated that takeoff was possible if the initial pitch angle was high. However, the pitch angle decreased immediately after takeoff due to the pitching moment generated by the flapping motion. The moment on the tail wing was not enough for the robot to maintain a horizontal posture at low airspeeds during takeoff. It was concluded that the robot requires a control mechanism for the pitching moment generated by the flapping motion andor accelerators that function without flapping during takeoff, such as hind limbs. Therefore, the parameters required for the design of actuated hind limbs were estimated.