Design and Optimization of a Samara-Inspired Lightweight Monocopter for Extended Endurance
Xinyu Cai, Shangkun Zhong, Tee Meng Tan, Wei Jun Ang, Shaohui Foong
AI summary
Problem
Small multirotor MAVs suffer from poor aerodynamic efficiency and high power consumption at reduced scales, while ornithopters incur energy losses from complex reciprocating mechanisms, both severely limiting flight endurance.
Approach
Inspired by maple seeds, the team designed a single-actuator aircraft with a large airfoil and optimized its wing geometry and flight configuration using a surrogate model that balances aerodynamic forces, motor efficiency, and hovering stability.
Key results
- 32-gram takeoff weight with a single-actuator streamlined architecture
- Surrogate-based optimization of wing chord lengths and pitching angle
- 26 minutes of stable, position-controlled hovering flight
- 9.1 g/W power loading, outperforming state-of-the-art sub-100g MAVs
Why it matters
Establishes a new benchmark for long-endurance micro aerial vehicles by proving that minimal-actuator, biologically-inspired designs can achieve superior power efficiency and practical mission viability.
Abstract
Small multirotors demonstrate significant potential due to their simple airframe and human-friendly operation. How- ever, the reduced size results in substantially higher energy con- sumption, which severely limits their flight endurance and restricts their range of applications. Ornithopters, while offering better aerodynamic efficiency, experience energy losses due to the me- chanical complexity required to generate reciprocating motion. In this work, inspired by the samara, we present a lightweight aircraft with an exceptionally simple design featuring a single actuator and a mono airfoil. To optimize the flight configuration for min- imal power consumption, we employed a Surrogate optimization method that integrates spinning airfoil dynamics, motor-propeller efficiency, and hovering equilibrium. As a result, the proposed vehicle achieves position-controlled hovering flight for up to 26 minutes with a takeoff weight of only 32 grams. Its superior power efficiency is demonstrated by a high power loading of 9.1 grams per watt. Compared to state-of-the-art systems, the proposed design shows significant improvements in both flight endurance and power efficiency. The reliable and stable position-holding flight over an extended period further validates the effectiveness of the proposed methods and the practical applicability of the fabricated prototype.