Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Flexible Wing Kinematics of a Free-Flying Beetle (Rhinoceros Beetle Trypoxylus Dichotomus)

  • Published:
Journal of Bionic Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Detailed 3-Dimensional (3D) wing kinematics was experimentally presented in free flight of a beetle, Trypoxylus dichotomus, which has a pair of elytra (forewings) and flexible hind wings. The kinematic parameters such as the wing tip trajectory, angle of attack and camber deformation were obtained from a 3D reconstruction technique that involves the use of two synchronized high-speed cameras to digitize various points marked on the wings. Our data showed outstanding characteristics of deformation and flexibility of the beetle’s hind wing compared with other measured insects, especially in the chordwise and spanwise directions during flapping motion. The hind wing produced 16% maximum positive camber deformation during the downstroke. It also experienced twisted shape showing large variation of the angle of attack from the root to the tip during the upstroke.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Dickinson M. Insect flight. Current Biology, 2006, 16, R309–R314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Dudley R. The Biomechanics of Insect Flight: Form, Function, Evolution, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Dickinson M H, Lehmann F-O, Sane S P. Wing rotation and the aerodynamic basis of insect fligh. Science, 1999, 284, 1954–1960.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Birch J M, Dickinson M H. Spanwise flow and the attachment of the leading-edge vortex on insect wings. Nature, 412, 729–733.

  5. Srygley R B, Thomas A L R. Unconventional lift-generating mechanisms in free-flying butterflies. Nature, 2002, 420, 660–664.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Kim W K, Ko J H, Park H C, Byun D Y. Numerical study on the effects of corrugation of the gliding dragonfly wing. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 2009, 260, 523–530.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Le T Q, Byun D Y, Saputra, Ko J H, Park H C, Kim M. Numerical investigation of the aerodynamic characteristics of a hovering Coleopteran insect. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 2009, 266, 485–495

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  8. Wood R J. The first takeoff of a biologically inspired at-scale robotic insect. IEEE Transactions on robotics, 24, 341–347

  9. Lee Y, Yoo Y, Kim J, Widhiarini S, Park B, Park H C, Yoon K J, Byun D Y. Mimicking a superhydrophobic insect wing by argon and oxygen ion beam treatment on polytetra-fluoroethylene film. Journal of Bionic Engineering, 2009, 6, 365–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Nguyen Q V, Park H C, Goo N S, Byun D Y. Characteristics of a beetle’s free flight and a flapping-wing system that mimics beetle flight. Journal of Bionic Engineering, 2010, 7, 77–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Fry S N, Sayaman R, Dickinson M H. The aerodynamics of free-flight maneuvers in drosophila. Science, 2003, 300, 495–498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Wu G H, Zeng L J, Ji L H. Measuring the wing kinematics of a moth (helicoverpa armigera) by a two-dimensional fringe projection method. Journal of Bionic Engineering, 2008, 5, 138–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Wang H, Zeng L, Yin C. Measuring the body position, attitude and wing deformation of a free-flight dragonfly by combining a comb fringe pattern with sign points on the wing. Measurement Science and Technology, 2002, 13, 903.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Hatze H. High-precision three-dimensional photogra-mmetric calibration and object space reconstruction using a modified DLT-approach. Journal of Biomechanics, 1998, 21, 533–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Hedrick T L, Tobalske B W, Biewener A A. How cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) modulate pectoralis power output across flight speeds. Journal of Experiment Biology, 2003 206, 1363–1378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Tobalske B W, Warrick D R, Clark C J, Powers D R, Hedrick T L, Hyder G A, Biewener A A. Three-dimensional kinematics of hummingbird flight. Journal of Experiment Biology, 2007, 210, 2368–2382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Tian X, Diaz I J, Middleton K, Galvao R, Israeli E, Roemer A, Sullivan A, Song A, Swartz S, Breuer K. Direct measurements of the kinematics and dynamics of bat flight. Journal of Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 2006, 1, S10–S18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Card G, Dickinson M H. Performance trade-offs in the flight initiation of Drosophila. Journal of Experiment Biology, 2008, 211, 341–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Young J, Walker S M, Bomphrey R J, Taylor G K, Thomas ALR. Details of insect wing design and deformation enhance aerodynamic function and flight eficiency. Science, 2009, 325, 1549–1552.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Zhao L, Huang Q, Deng X, Sane S P. Aerodynamic effects of flexibility in flapping wings. Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 2010, 7, 485–497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Lua K, Lai K, Lim T, Yeo K. On the aerodynamic characteristics of hovering rigid and flexible hawkmoth-like wings. Journal Experiments in Fluids, 2010, 49, 1263–1291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Wang H, Zeng L, Liu H, Yin C. Measuring wing kinematics, flight trajectory and body attitude during forward flight and turning maneuvers in dragonflies. Journal of Experiment Biology, 2003, 206, 745–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Walker S M, Thomas ALR, Taylor G K. Photogrammetric reconstruction of high-resolution surface topographies and deformable wing kinematics of tethered locusts and free-flying hoverflies. Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 2009, 6, 351–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Willmott A, Ellington C P. The mechanics of flight in the hawkmoth Manduca sexta. I. Kinematics of hovering and forward flight. Journal of Experiment Biology, 1997, 200, 2705–2722.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Frantsevich L, Dai Z, Wang W Y, Zhang Y. Geometry of elytra opening and closing in some beetles (Coleoptera, Polyphaga). Journal of Experiment Biology, 2005, 208, 3145–3158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Tyson L H. Software techniques for two- and three-dimensional kinematic measurements of biological and biomimetic systems. Journal Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 2008, 3, 034001.

  27. Sane S P, Dickinson M H. The control of flight force by a flapping wing: lift and drag production. Journal of Experimental Biology, 2001, 204, 2607–2626.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Ishihara, D., Yamashita, Y., Horie, T., Yoshida, S. and Niho, T. Passive maintenance of high angle of attack and its lift generation during flapping translation in crane fly wing. Journal of Experimental Biology, 2009, 212, 3882–3891.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Dudley R, Ellington C P. Mechanics of forward flight in bumblebees: I. kinematics and morphology, Journal of Experimental Biology, 1990, 148, 19–52.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Maybury W J, Lehmann F O. The fluid dynamics of flight control by kinematic phase lag variation between two robotic insect wings. Journal of Experimental Biology, 2004, 207, 4707–4726.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Josephson R, Malamud J, Stokes D. Power output by an asynchronous flight muscle from a beetle. Journal of Experiment Biology, 2000, 17, 2667–2689.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Ellington C P. The aerodynamics of hovering insect flight. III. kinematics. Journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, Biological Sciences, 1984, 305, 41–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Sane S P, Dickinson M H. The aerodynamic effects of wing rotation and a revised quasi-steady model of flapping flight. Journal of Experiment Biology, 2002, 205, 1087–1096.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Zhang G, Sun J, Chen D, Wang Y. Flapping motion measurement of honeybee bilateral wings using four virtual structured-light sensors. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 2008, 148, 19–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Jin T, Goo N S, Woo S C, Park H C. Use of a digital image correlation technique for measuring the material properties of beetle wing. Journal of Bionic Engineering, 2009, 6, 224–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Jin T, Goo N S, Park H C. Finite element modeling of a beetle wing. Journal of Bionic Engineering, 2010, 7, S145–S149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Ha N S, Jin T L, Goo N S, Park H C. Anisotropy and non-homogeneity of an Allomyrina Dichotoma beetle hind wing membrane. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 2011, 6, 046003.

  38. Heathcote S, Wang Z, Gursul I. Effect of spanwise flexibility on flapping wing propulsion. Journal of Fluids and Structures, 2008, 24, 183–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aerospace and Information Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea

    Tien Van Truong & Tuyen Quang Le

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea

    Doyoung Byun

  3. Department of Advanced Technology Fusion, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea

    Hoon Choel Park

  4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Minjun Kim

Authors
  1. Tien Van Truong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tuyen Quang Le
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Doyoung Byun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hoon Choel Park
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Minjun Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Doyoung Byun.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Truong, T.V., Le, T.Q., Byun, D. et al. Flexible Wing Kinematics of a Free-Flying Beetle (Rhinoceros Beetle Trypoxylus Dichotomus). J Bionic Eng 9, 177–184 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1016/S1672-6529(11)60113-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1672-6529(11)60113-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation