Bird wing simulation using Gazebo

Hi all, I would like to simulate Ornithopter using Gazebo. Since Gazebo currently doesn't support soft-body simulation(I am not sure), I have no clue to get my simulation done. The lift-drag plugin available seems to be pretty close to what I want. But it is developed with the aim to simulate aircrafts. I came to know about bullet physics engine. But, I am not sure whether it is possible to model a bird wing. So, Please give me any ideas or examples to simulate ornithopter(bird) using Gazebo?

Asked by Ajith kumar on 2017-10-02 02:41:21 UTC

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Answers

You're best bet would be to write your own custom plugin that "fakes" the physics of an Ornithopter.

For reference you might want to check out this paper:
http://www.cim.mcgill.ca/~dmeger/ICRA2015_GaitLearning/icra2015_gait_learning.pdf, page 4
The authors used Gazebo plugins to implement empirical equations for a swimming robot's buoyancy, drag, and flipper thrust underwater.

Flexible surfaces can be approximated by using smaller rigid surfaces connected with joints.

Finally, Gazebo may not be the best option for your particular design. You may be better off looking for another simulator that's designed to handle soft-bodies / fluids.

Asked by josephcoombe on 2017-10-02 10:41:03 UTC