Smart Skin for Flapping-Wing Robotics with Environment Sensing and Attitude Monitoring Capabilities

In this work, we designed a bionic flapping-wing smart skin, which mimics the body surface receptors of flying organisms by integrating flexible strain, temperature, humidity and gas sensors. Combining with the excellent mechanical and degradable properties of fibroin protein, the smart skin was prepared on the silk substrate by Micro-electromechanical Systems (MEMS) process. By carrying smart skin, bionic flapping-wing aircraft can not only monitor its own flying attitude, but also sense environmental parameters. The proposed smart skin provides a new strategy for the drone to realize the “fly-by-feel” flight mode and exhibits the potential to be applied in the field of emergency rescue by multidimensional sensing.