The design and micromachining of an electromagnetic MEMS flapping-wing micro air vehicle

An electromagnetic MEMS flapping-wing micro air vehicle at insect scale is presented. The detailed scheme, design, micro fabrication and experiment are given in this paper. Firstly, by commercial software ANSYS and MATLAB, electromagnetic analysis, modal analysis and kinetics analysis are proposed. Moreover, based on the result of theoretical analysis, appropriate structure, material and inherent frequency are selected. Then, a new LIGA-like process based on SU-8 photoresist technology is adopted to fabricate thorax, tergum and vein. Finally, a 3.5 cm wingspan, 144 mg weight prototype is integrated, and then we finish the flapping test for this prototype, which has a flapping resonance frequency range of 120–150 Hz. The test result demonstrates the feasibility solution in the development of FMAV based on MEMS, this work is a stepping-stone on the path toward flying robotic insects.