MIPT scientists calculated the mosquito’s flight pattern, the mosquito’s lift force, and the wing beat frequency required to keep the insect suspended in the air. For this purpose, a special computational model was created that can form the basis for the development of biomorphic flying robots based on mosquito flight principles. MIPT told socialbites.ca about this.
Understanding how animals move through space has implications for many scientific fields. Observing insects in particular will help engineers create drones that can fly through narrow tunnels, hover, and land on vertical and vertical surfaces.
To solve these problems, a team of Russian scientists proposed a new computational model of mosquito flight. These insects have one of the most unusual techniques for creating elevators. Their flight is the result of two oscillatory movements: bending and flapping. The mosquito wing frequently makes small (about 400) amplitude oscillatory movements. Moreover, it twists a little at the end of each up and down stroke, creating additional vortices and increasing vertical thrust.
“During our work, an accurate mathematical model of the movement of an insect in the air was created. Roughly speaking, it allows you to calculate not only how a small creature flaps its wings, but also what happens to the air flow around it. As a result, the algorithm makes it possible to create corresponding pressure fields and calculate the buoyancy force,” Viktor Kazantsev, head of the research, head of the neurobiomorphic technologies laboratory at MIPT and head of the neurotechnologies department at UNN, explained to socialbites.ca.
Especially thanks to the new model, the wing flapping frequency required for an insect to fly in the air was calculated. According to the findings of scientists, this value is equal to 800-820 cycles per second. The obtained data agreed with previously performed experimental calculations, which confirmed the prediction accuracy of the proposed algorithms.
“The mosquito’s wing has a relatively simple shape. This makes it possible to use the resulting calculations as the basis for developing more complex models. For example, those describing the flight of birds that change the geometry of their upper limbs during the process of flapping their wings,” said Viktor Kazantsev.
Previously in Russia was created Virtual environment for group rehabilitation after stroke.