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.

Multi-modal flapping robots demonstrate potential capabilities to accomplish assigned missions in confined indoor and outdoor environments. In this letter, inspired by the multimodal movement of insects, we report a multimodal tailless flapping wing robot capable of flying, crawling, self-righting and horizontal take-off. The robot has two pairs of wings, and achieves flight attitude stabilization and control through wing stroke-plane modulation. Terrestrial locomotion is accomplished through a hexapod crawling mechanism driven by a set of two geared motors. Horizontal take-off is achieved by flapping wings and stroke-plane modulation, it can reduce the fuselage height of the crawling mode, so that the robot can crawl through smaller gaps. Furthermore, this mechanism enables the robot to self-right in the event of overturning. Currently, the robot weighs 35.4 g, has a wingspan of 33 cm, and it could fly at a maximum speed of about 5 m/s or crawl on the ground at a speed of up to 30 cm/s. And the robot could endure up to 8.2 minutes in flight or over 60 minutes in crawling using an onboard battery. Experiments show that the robot has demonstrated the ability to flexibly transition between flight and crawling modes, and it could fly in intricate environments and crawl through small gaps.

A novel micromotor is described, in which the gear-shaped pyrolytic graphite rotor is levitated, rotated and constrained by the combination of static magnetic, electrostatic forces and torques. Two concentric ring-shaped permanent magnets are presented, which are used for realising the static magnetic field. By the microelectromechanical systems process, the metal electrodes, pads and SU-8 column post were fabricated on the silicon substrate above the magnets. The stator was assembled by the silicon and the magnets. The three-phase axial variable-capacitance motor principle was applied for driving the rotor. The rotor is stably levitated to a height of about 0.70 mm over the magnets. When a 30 V driving voltage was added, the rotor speed was over 10 rpm in atmosphere.