High-lift generation and power requirements of insect flight

Recently, much progress has been made in revealing aerodynamic force mechanisms and predicting power requirements in insect flight. In this article, we review the research works in the past 10 years. We first summarize the kinematics of the flapping wing. Next we explore the unsteady high-lift mechanisms. Then we discuss the power requirements of hovering and forward flight in some insects. Finally, we mention recent studies on dragonfly flight.