Flapping its wings with solar heat… Developed self-powered material

A research team from Changzhou University and Jiangsu University in China developed a material called FBBW (flexible bio-butterfly wing) in which a polymer sheet is coated with a nanocrystalline metal film.

FBBW repeats unfolding and curling by itself in solar heat, and when the temperature decreases in the shadow, it becomes thermal again, resulting in a fluttering motion. This movement repeats up to 4.5 times per second and takes the form of a butterfly’s rapid flapping. It doesn’t work with electricity generated by Teyang Light, but directly with solar heat.

It is said that if several sheets are arranged like a windmill, they rotate round and round, so they can be used for power generation as it is. Since the other alone can generate 100mW current per 1cm ² , a completely new type of solar panel can be made. In addition, the possibilities of application such as being able to be made into toys, cylinders, spirals, etc. are endless.

The research team hopes that someday it could be adopted for flying animal robots. In the past, something like a robot (DelFly Nimble) that flies in the sky was developed using a yellow fruit fly rather than a butterfly. Since this robot was also planning to make 17 flaps and lifts per second, further research may be needed if the flight using this FBBW is considered. Related information can be found here .