A TUM student club building the UAV of the future, inspired by the natural excellence of dragonflies.
Odonatum is a passionate student club located at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) driven by the ambitious goal of designing and constructing a small-scale ornithopter, drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of dragonfly flight. We are a multidisciplinary team of students from various fields, united by our fascination with biomimicry and aerospace engineering.
We envision a future where bio-inspired flight mechanisms contribute to sustainable and efficient aerial mobility. Through hands-on experience and collaborative learning, Odonatum aims to push the boundaries of bio-inspired engineering.
We aim to provide a real alternative to standard quadcopter UAVs in the sub-250g category, demonstrating clear advantages in range and speed through our novel wing-driven design.
Bio-inspiration at Odonatum doesn’t mean creating an imperfect imitation of a dragonfly. Instead, we draw targeted inspiration from specific principles—such as wing stroke kinematics, surface textures, and lightweight structures—and integrate them into an engineered system built for performance.
Odonatum is a non-profit organisation, dedicated to furthering students’ practical education, working on advanced hardware projects, while also moving research in the field of bionic UAVs forward. We provide our members with access to tools, and advanced software, while they work on our challenging project.
Flapping-wing UAVs, like those we develop at Odonatum, bridge the operational gap between rotary-wing agile hovers and fixed-wing cruising efficiency. By pairing variable wing kinematics with an adjustable stroke plane, they enable vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) in confined environments.
While rotary platforms maintain superior pure-hover endurance, ornithopters gain significant forward-flight range and speed by exploiting unsteady aerodynamic phenomena, notably leading-edge vortices.
To validate this technology, Odonatum is developing a sub-250g platform by 2029 that equals the versatility of conventional micro-quadcopters while surpassing them in both transit speed and range.
Are you passionate about aerospace, electronics, software, the challenges of managing a complex project or just curious about building something extraordinary? Join Odonatum and be part of our exciting journey!
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