Nature has inspired inventors with its elegant designs for as long as can be remembered. From Galileo’s bird-based flying contraptions to modern nano-materials modeled from shark skin, evolution has produced a wide variety of designs that people can look to for inspiration. It should come as no surprise then that insects, in their numerous and sometimes bizarre forms, can provide unusual and creative solutions to many design problems.
Dragonflies are some of the most agile and deadly aerial predators in all of the bug world. They can travel at great speeds, turn and maneuver on a dime, and have excellent vision to spot and track prey as they dart about the sky. Their agility and airborne acrobatics have caught the eyes of many inventors and engineers who seek to create better aircraft. Dragonflies have inspired designs including small drones and toys to landing struts, even the design of aircraft hulls.
One such example can be seen in the company Festo, who have used the dragonfly body plan to engineer a small drone that looks and flies like a dragonfly. Called the BionicOpter, the dragonfly design allows the drone to be incredibly maneuverable. Festo claims “For the first time, there is a model that can master more flight conditions than a helicopter, plane and glider combined (1).” Festo says their drone is highly flexible in its flight capabilities, being able to “…fly in all directions, hover in mid-air and glide without beating its wings (1).”
While the BionicOpter is an impressive little machine, the possibilities of dragonfly based design do not end at small proof of concept drones. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has looked to dragonflies to make helicopter landings safer. By mimicking dragonfly legs, the Mission Adaptive Rotor project team has developed a deployable landing system that allows helicopters to land safely on uneven or shifting surfaces (2). This development can be a huge boon as it would allow helicopters to safely land on sloped surfaces like hills, or moving surfaces such as a shifting boat stern. This could greatly benefit military and search and rescue pilots who often need to land on rough surfaces.
There are still lots of things we can learn from dragonflies about flight and how to make efficient and agile aircraft. The body plan of a dragonfly is yet another example of how natural systems can be used to enhance not only our understanding of engineering principles but the way we design new technology. By learning from plants and animals, from soaring eagles to lowly bugs, we can create wonderful things.
(1) Learn more about the BionicOpter at https://www.festo.com/net/SupportPortal/Files/248133/Festo_BionicOpter_en.pdf
(2) Learn more about the MAR landing gear at https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=a3e9495c563ef6cb2f83c6fa407969b1&tab=core&_cview=1
LindaK says
Great article! Very interesting.