Flight data from: Acrobatics at the insect-scale: A durable, precise, and agile micro-aerial-robot
Data files
Dec 24, 2024 version files 1.01 GB
-
1000s.csv
563.43 MB
-
double_flip.csv
21.27 MB
-
infinity_sign.csv
41.30 MB
-
MIT_letter.csv
153.84 MB
-
planar_circle.csv
41.47 MB
-
README.md
2.83 KB
-
rotating_infinity_sign.csv
168.19 MB
-
single_flip.csv
17.94 MB
Abstract
Aerial insects are exceptionally agile and precise owing to their small size and fast neuromotor control. They perform impressive acrobatic maneuvers when they evade predators, recover from wind gust, or land on moving objects. Flapping-wing propulsion is advantageous for achieving flight agility because it can generate large changes of instantaneous forces and torques. During flapping-wing flight, the wings, hinges, and tendons of pterygote insects endure large deformation and high stress hundreds of times each second, highlighting the outstanding flexibility and fatigue resistance of biological structures and materials. In comparison, engineered materials and microscale structures in sub-gram micro-aerial-vehicles (MAVs) exhibit substantially shorter lifespan. Consequently, most sub-gram MAVs are limited to hovering for less than 10 seconds or following simple trajectories at slow speeds. Here, we developed a 750-milligram flapping-wing MAV that demonstrated unprecedented lifespan, speed, accuracy, and agility. Owing to transmission and hinge designs that reduce off-axis torsional stress and deformation, the robot achieved a 1000-second hovering flight – two orders-of-magnitude longer than existing sub-gram MAVs. This robot also performed some of the most complex flight trajectories with under 1 centimeter root-mean-square (RMS) error and over 30 centimeter-per-second average speed. With a lift-to-weight ratio of 2.2 and a maximum ascending speed of 100 centimeter-per-second, this robot demonstrated double body flips at a rotational rate exceeding that of the fastest aerial insects and larger MAVs. These results highlight insect-like flight endurance, precision, and agility in an at-scale MAV, opening opportunities for future research on sensing and power autonomy.
README: Flight data from: Acrobatics at the insect-scale: a durable, precise, and agile micro-aerial-robot
Data format
The data is saved in Comma-Separated Value (.csv) format. The first column of each .csv file represents the time (in seconds) recorded during the flight. The subsequent columns are organized in groups of six: the first three columns show the x, y, and z positions (in meters), and the next three columns contain the Euler angles in the XYZ convention (in radians). The corresponding flight numbers are also included in the column names to demonstrate repeatability.
List of flight data
The following list shows the filenames and the corresponding flights (in terms of figure numbers) presented in the manuscript:
- "MIT_letter.csv" - Fig. 1 (D) and Fig. S7
- "1000s.csv" - Fig. 4
- "infinity_sign.csv" - Fig. 5 (A-D) and Fig. S4
- "planar_circle.csv" - Fig. 5 (E-H) and Fig. S5
- "rotating_infinity_sign.csv" - Fig. 5 (I-M) and Fig. S6
- "single_flip.csv" - Fig 6 (A-F) and Fig. S9
- "double_flip.csv" - Fig 6 (G-L) and Fig. S10
Data collection
The data was captured by a motion-capturing system (Vicon Vantage V5 and Vicon Tracker 3.9). The data was first retrieved from Vicon Tracker 3.9 and then transmitted in real-time to a target computer (Speedgoat) via asynchronous UDP. All data was saved at 10 kHz on the target computer, with no post-processing applied.
Post-processing used in the manuscript
While the data presented in this dataset is raw and without any post-processing, the plots shown in the manuscript have been post-processed. The following paragraphs explain the reasons and methods of post-processing used in the manuscript.
- The raw data received on the target computer does not update at exactly 400 Hz (Vicon system's refresh rate), as a result, a much higher sampling rate (10 kHz) was used to collect and save data. Lowpass filtering (e.g. Matlab
filtfilt) is thus applied to smooth the signals presented in the manuscript. - The Vicon system only provides position and Euler angle. Velocity and angular velocity shown in the manuscript were obtained through numerical differentiation of the post-lowpass-filtered data.
- The somersault maneuvers involve flipping with respect to the body y-axis, and the ZXY convention was used to present the flipping angle (Fig. 6 and Fig. S9 and S10) in the manuscript (while the data is still saved in the XYZ convention). The filtering of the Euler angle was done through the following steps: 1) adding 360° to the second stage (and 720° to the third stage) of the flip to ensure the Euler angle-y is continuous; 2) applying lowpass filter to the Euler angle; and 3) subtracting 360° from the second stage (and 720° from the third stage) of the flip. Angular velocity was then obtained through numerical differentiation.
Methods
The dataset comprises raw data, including position and Euler angles (using the XYZ convention), collected from a motion-capturing system (Vicon Vantage V5 and Vicon Tracker 3.9). The data was retrieved from Vicon Tracker 3.9 and transmitted in real-time to a target computer (Speedgoat) via asynchronous UDP. All data was saved at 10 kHz on the target computer, with no post-processing applied.