Figure 3
From: Insect wing 3D printing
Design of coupling wing. (a, b) Wings of a cicada (Diceroprocta apache (Davis, 1921)). Cicadas use two pairs of wings (forewings and hindwings) for flight. The trailing edge of the forewing and the leading edge of the hindwing have coupling structures with hook-shaped cross sections, which connect the two wings during flight. The coupling structures are disconnected, and the forewings are overlapped on the hindwings for compact storing after landing on a tree. (c, d) Coupling structures on a forewing and hindwing, and schematics of their cross sections. (e) Microscopic image of the cross-section of the connected coupling structures. (f) Schematic of the coupling wing model. Forewing and hindwings overlap and can be stored compactly. When the forewing pivots to the flight position, its coupling (yellow) on the trailing edge hooks the hindwing’s coupling (green), and they deploy together. The two wings are locked in flight position and behave as one while flapping. (g, h) Flapping drone equipped with coupling wings. Secondary veins are designed using the WCV algorithm.
