Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Filali, Rim El, Feng, Chenrui, Gao, Chao, Gu, Weibin
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.19430
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866911712949567488
author Filali, Rim El
Feng, Chenrui
Gao, Chao
Gu, Weibin
author_facet Filali, Rim El
Feng, Chenrui
Gao, Chao
Gu, Weibin
contents Flapping-Wing Micro Aerial Vehicles (FWMAVs) provide exceptional maneuverability and aerodynamic efficiency but pose significant challenges for onboard control due to nonlinear dynamics and stringent Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints, as exemplified by a butterfly-inspired robot less than 30 gram. To this end, we present a hierarchical neuromorphic control framework that enables fully onboard, closed-loop flight on a widely available, resource-constrained ESP32 microcontroller with a unit cost of approximately $5. Specifically, our method deploys two lightweight Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) onboard: one for state estimation from raw sensory feedback and another for control via modulation of a Central Pattern Generator (CPG) for wing actuation. Trained by imitation learning, the system achieves stable pitch and heading angle tracking during untethered real-world flight. Experimental results further reveal that the SNN-based controller reduces latency by 36% (1059us to 680us) and power by 18% (0.033W to 0.027W) for inference compared to the conventional Artificial Neural Network (ANN) baseline, demonstrating the viability of spike-based computation without specialized hardware. To the best of our knowledge, this work constitutes the first demonstration of fully onboard neuromorphic control for autonomous flight of a FWMAV, highlighting the potential of SNNs to enable energy-efficient autonomy under stringent SWaP constraints. Visual abstract: http://bit.ly/4nI8ECY Code: https://anonymous.4open.science/r/Espikify-76E3/
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_19430
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Neuromorphic Control of a Flapping-Wing Robot on Resource-Constrained Hardware
Filali, Rim El
Feng, Chenrui
Gao, Chao
Gu, Weibin
Robotics
Flapping-Wing Micro Aerial Vehicles (FWMAVs) provide exceptional maneuverability and aerodynamic efficiency but pose significant challenges for onboard control due to nonlinear dynamics and stringent Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints, as exemplified by a butterfly-inspired robot less than 30 gram. To this end, we present a hierarchical neuromorphic control framework that enables fully onboard, closed-loop flight on a widely available, resource-constrained ESP32 microcontroller with a unit cost of approximately $5. Specifically, our method deploys two lightweight Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) onboard: one for state estimation from raw sensory feedback and another for control via modulation of a Central Pattern Generator (CPG) for wing actuation. Trained by imitation learning, the system achieves stable pitch and heading angle tracking during untethered real-world flight. Experimental results further reveal that the SNN-based controller reduces latency by 36% (1059us to 680us) and power by 18% (0.033W to 0.027W) for inference compared to the conventional Artificial Neural Network (ANN) baseline, demonstrating the viability of spike-based computation without specialized hardware. To the best of our knowledge, this work constitutes the first demonstration of fully onboard neuromorphic control for autonomous flight of a FWMAV, highlighting the potential of SNNs to enable energy-efficient autonomy under stringent SWaP constraints. Visual abstract: http://bit.ly/4nI8ECY Code: https://anonymous.4open.science/r/Espikify-76E3/
title Neuromorphic Control of a Flapping-Wing Robot on Resource-Constrained Hardware
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.19430