A theory for analyzing the flap motion of wings of small flying elements driven by a magnetic torque

A theory for analyzing the flap motion of wings of small flying elements driven by an alternating magnetic field was developed. The elements have the combined wings which are composed of magnetic and polyimide sheets connected with hinges. Motion equations of wings were obtained by examining the losses of flap motion of wings in detail. They were solved numerically, and the results were studied with experimental ones. The analytical results coincide very well with the experimental ones: the difference between the theoretical and experimental results was evaluated to be less than 17/spl deg/ in terms of the elevation angle of wings. This suggests that the theory developed here is useful for determining the motion of wings and hence for designing the elements with optimal structures for flying.