Phasing of dragonfly wings can improve aerodynamic efficiency by removing swirl.

ABSTRACT: Dragonflies are dramatic, successful aerial predators, notable for their flight agility and endurance. Further, they are highly capable of low-speed, hovering and even backwards flight. While insects have repeatedly modified or reduced one pair of wings, or mechanically coupled their fore and hind wings, dragonflies and damselflies have maintained their distinctive, independently controllable, four-winged form for over 300Myr. Despite efforts at understanding the implications of flapping flight with two pairs of wings, previous studies have generally painted a rather disappointing picture: interaction between fore and hind wings reduces the lift compared with two pairs of wings operating in isolation. Here, we demonstrate with a mechanical model dragonfly that, despite presenting no advant

SUBMITTER: Usherwood JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2607445 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature