Locust-Inspired Timing Strategy for Wing Deployment in Jump-Fly Robots

Small-scale robots often face challenges in traversing terrains of different scales. The combination of jumping and flying motion can enhance their obstacle-surmounting ability, and the timing of wing deployment undoubtedly plays a critical role in their jump-fly performance. However, previous studies of jump-fly robots have deployed wings speculatively at the highest point of the jump trajectory, resulting in suboptimal locomotion distance. In this study, we characterized the jump-fly motion of locusts and found that wing deployment timing is regulated by both airspeed and body angle. To verify the effect of this discovery on jump-fly robot motion, we constructed a jump-fly robot model in MATLAB and found that deploying wings based on the discovered airspeed-body angle relationship results in the farthest locomotion distance. Our findings provide valuable insights for improving the locomotion ability of jump-fly robots.