Biomimicry of the Manduca Sexta Forewing Using SRT Protein Complex for FWMAV Development

A new thermoplastic protein complex, Squid Ring Teeth SRT, has been adapted for use in the artificial reconstruction of a Manduca sexta wing. The SRT protein complex exhibits consistent material properties over a wide range of temperatures 25﾿C to 196﾿C and retains it mechanical integrity across a large frequency spectrum 0.1 Hz to 150 Hz. Insect-inspired wings comprised of SRT can therefore be reliable and robust, which are essential characteristics for flapping wing MAVs FWMAV. The preliminary results in this paper suggest that a thorough analysis of an SRT-based wing be conducted using load cell, optical digitization, and PIV techniques. With these results, we believe it will be possible to accurately mimic the M. sexta wing in order to pave the way for next generation FWMAV development.