Dynamic Analysis of a Flapping Robot Employing Bond Graph Approach

The main scope of this research is to propose an efficient model to simulate the flapping robot performance employing bond graph approach. For this purpose, complete constitutive elements of the system under investigation including main body and accessories, flapping mechanism, flexible wings and propulsion system consisting of battery, DC motors, and gear boxes are considered. The complete model of the system was developed appending bond graph model of the subsystems together utilizing appropriate junctions. A computer model was developed employing the block oriented structure of Simulink in MATLAB software for simulation studies. The very good agreements between the simulation and experimental results of the studied system, illustrates the validity and accuracy of the proposed bond graph model in this investigation. As a result, the offered approach presents a comprehensive and efficient model to get clear insight into the dynamic behavior of the flapping robot and provide helpful information designing such systems.