Patagium and tail morphology shape aerodynamic performance and control authority in gliding-mammal-inspired wings

Gliding mammals exhibit diverse patagium and tail/uropatagium morphologies that may influence aerodynamic performance and maneuverability.

Here, we use computational fluid dynamics to isolate the aerodynamic effects of representative gliding-mammal-inspired morphologies under controlled flow conditions.

Three patagium configurations were compared to evaluate the effects of membrane outline on lift generation, drag, stall behavior and pitching moment.

Three tail/uropatagium configurations were further tested under baseline, symmetric-deflection and asymmetric-deflection conditions to assess their longitudinal and lateral control authority.

The results show that a broader patagium configuration generated the highest lift and lift coefficient, whereas an intermediate patagium morphology showed a smoother post-stall response with lower drag.

For the tail configurations, the colugo-like integrated uropatagium enhanced lift and pitch-control authority under symmetric deflection, while the flat-tail configuration produced stronger rolling and yawing responses under asymmetric deflection.

These findings indicate that gliding-mammal-inspired morphologies produce distinct aerodynamic trade-offs rather than a single optimal design.

The results provide insight into the functional diversity of gliding mammal morphology and offer design guidance for bioinspired morphing aerial robots.