Quieter UAV Rotor Blades Inspired by Insect Wings: Insights from Computational Models*

The application of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is surging across several industries, paralleled by growing demand for these UAVs. However, the noise emitted by UAVs remains a significant impediment to their widespread use even though in areas such as product delivery, they can be more environmentally friendly than traditional delivery methods. Nature has often been a source of inspiration for devices that are efficient and eco-friendly. In the current study, we revisit the previous work by Seo et. al. (Bioinspir. Biomim 2021) on aeroacoustics of mosquitoes and fruit fly wings to assess if we can leverage some insights from these biological models to develop strategies and designs for reducing drone rotor noise. Aerodynamic simulations are performed by our in-house flow solver ViCar3D and the aeroacoustic sound is predicted by the Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings equation. Sound directivity, power, and characteristics of those rotor designs are compared and discussed.