Development of micro air vehicles has led to a strong interest in the biomechanics of flapping fliers such as bats, birds, and insects, due to their ability to perform extreme unsteady maneuvers and fly in confined spaces. Determining the methods and mechanisms used by these fliers is a valuable source...
We hypothesize that the extraordinary maneuverability and efficiency of bats in flight are in part due to the compliant nature of their wing structures. We utilize the parameters of bat bones measured by biologists to create a biologically inspired model of a flapping system consisting of a rotating hub actuator...
This thesis presents an adaptive model reference controller for a highly
maneuverable high performance aircraft, in particular, a modified F18. An adaptive
controller is developed to maneuver an aircraft at a high angle of attack. Thus, the
aircraft is required to fly over a highly nonlinear flight regime. The adaptive...