Snake-like robots are nearing practical use and have already been trialed for internal inspections at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Recently, the flying snake has been highlighted as a bio-inspired model for imparting a gliding capability to such robots. In this study, we model the snake’s frequently observed gliding posture as a static Z-shaped configuration and evaluate its aerodynamic performance and stability using aerodynamic coefficients obtained from numerical simulations validated by wind-tunnel experiments. Our results indicate that a slight shift of the center of gravity enables a glide with a vertical drop of 10 m; however, sustained long-range gliding requires a bilaterally symmetric posture. We infer that the snake’s undulatory motion during flight yields time-averaged bilateral symmetry, which suppresses yawing and rolling. These findings provide a simple mechanical explanation for stable gliding and suggest design guidelines for gliding-capable snake-like robots.
Nakano et al. (Wed,) studied this question.