An analysis of how rhinoceros beetles deploy and retract their hindwings shows that the process is passive, requiring no muscular activity. The findings, reported in Nature, could help improve the design of flying micromachines.
Among all flying insects, beetles demonstrate the most complex wing mechanisms, involving two sets of wings: a pair of hardened forewings called elytra and a set of delicate membranous hindwings. Although extensive research exists on the origami-like folds of their wings, little is known about how they deploy and retract their hindwings.
Previous research theorizes that thoracic muscles drive a beetle’s hindwing base movement, but experimental evidence to support this theory is lacking.
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