摘要Flapping-Wing Air Vehicles(FWAVs)have been developed to pursue the efficient,agile,and quiet flight of flying animals.However,unlike lightweight FWAVs capable of vertical takeoff,relatively heavy FWAVs face challenges in self-takeoff,which refers to taking off without both external device and energy input.In this study,a cliff-drop method is implemented for an independent takeoff of a heavy FWAV,relying solely on gravity.In the takeoff process using the cliff-drop method,the FWAV moves on the ground to a cliff edge using a wheel-driving motor and then descends from the cliff to achieve the necessary speed for flight.To demonstrate the cliff-drop method,the KAIST Robotic Hawk(KRoHawk)with a mass of 740 g and a wingspan of 120 cm is developed.The takeoff tests demonstrate that the KRoHawk,significantly heavier than the vertical-takeoff capable FWAVs,can successfully take off using the gravity-assisted takeoff method.The scalabil-ity of cliff-drop method is analyzed through simulations.When drop constraints are absent,the wheel-driving motor mass fraction for cliff-drop method remains negligible even as the vehicle's weight increases.When drop constraints are set to 4 m,FWAVs heavier than KRoHawk,weighing up to 4.4 kg,can perform the cliff-drop takeoffs with a wheel-driving motor mass fraction of less than 8％.