Design and performance of micromolded plastic butterfly wings on butterfly ornithopter

Three types of artificial butterfly wings were fabricated for investigating the morphological function of actual butterfly wings. They consist of a thin polymer membrane and micromolded polyurethane veins. The planar shape and venation of one type were the same as those of a swallowtail butterfly, and those of the other two were different. The effect of the distribution of stiffness over the wings by the veins on flight characteristics during free forward flight was investigated using an ornithopter and the three different types of wing. The overall aerodynamic coefficients were the highest for the wings with veins the same as those of a swallowtail butterfly, indicating that the veins enable slow forward flight.