Robot with 'Mudangbeolle' Wings

A photo capturing the motion trajectory of a jumping-gliding hybrid behavior robot utilizing deployable wings.

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] A robot that flies by unfolding its wings in 0.1 seconds, mimicking the wings of a ladybug, has been developed. This robot unfolds its wings like folding and unfolding paper, and it is expected to be utilized in aerospace and medical fields in the future. On the 16th, the College of Engineering at Seoul National University announced the research results of Professor Gyu-Jin Cho's team (Department of Mechanical Engineering) at the Defense Bio-mimetic Autonomous Robot Specialized Center.

The research team developed wings in a paper-folding style by imitating the veins spreading like patterns on a ladybug's wings. The biggest feature of these wings is that they can unfold quickly without springs. Ladybug wings have uniquely shaped veins, allowing them to unfold in 0.1 seconds and withstand fast wing beats at 100Hz without bending.

Professor Gyu-Jin Cho of Seoul National University explained, "By applying the elasticity and cross-sectional shape of the ladybug's veins to the origami structure, we were able to significantly increase the energy storage capacity and simultaneously enable it to withstand large forces without additional components."

The research team also developed a composite behavior robot capable of jumping and gliding using the developed wings. The wings of this robot fold to one-eighth of their total area. Thanks to the unique structure, the wings can also be unfolded quickly. The robot jumps with its wings folded, then rapidly unfolds its wings at the highest point to glide down on the wind.

Professor Cho said, "The ladybug-inspired origami structure can be easily applied to small exploration robots, medical robots, aerospace technology, and will greatly help expand the functions of deployable mechanisms."

The research results are scheduled to be published as a cover paper in the international robotics journal Science Robotics on the 15th (local time).

Image of a ladybug's wing (left) and a deployable wing inspired by it

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