Introduction to Flapping Wing Design

This chapter treats the main choices, issues, and tradeoffs in the design of flapping wing MAVs. In particular, we discuss the implications of different tail and wing configurations, the energy source and various types of actuators. We also show how choices elementary to aircraft design, such as the trade-off between fuel/battery mass and payload mass can have rather large effects at the scale of light-weight flapping wing MAVs.