Morphing aircraft mimics a bird's wing

Read more: http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn13419

Dutch researchers have created a small propeller plane that can change the shape of its wings in a similar way to agile birds called swifts.

Video:Roboswift team http://www.roboswift.nl
Images:Johan van Leeuwen

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• propeller
• plane
• wings
• swift
• bird
• morph
• aircraft
• aerospace
• new
• scientist
• newscientist

[Kingof666]

When the FBI shows up at your door asking about your meth lab, they'll say, "A little birdie told us."

[DonMeaker]

Swept wings, like the US F-14 or F-111....how new and exciting!

[sux2bu37]

You've made Tom Cruise so jealous! Wait...

[NIGHTMAREuki]

@DonMeaker idea is similar but executions is was different

[elnogga]

new technology? I thought the F-14 could do this

[jesusramos1900]

Search "A robot that flies like a bird" This actually flies like a bird, not using a spinning propeller.

[DemonAMVs]

@nbaietti Watch the video again, the wings don't give propulsion just efficiently at different speeds. Same reason nearly all planes have Flaps.  It increase lift at low speeds that are then retracted to decrease drag.

[nbaietti]

but with the propeler the wing movement seems irrelevant

[jazdx01]

watch the difference of this and a f14 fighter?

[herbdragon]

Can't wait for the Mechanized Cheeta suit, Kangaroo suit would be awesome too. Wow it's going to be like megaman in real life in a couple of years. Maybe we will have to start exploring space more though because this planet keeps going volatile.

[mryellow123]

@rivendell9999 "wingsuit" search it.

[mryellow123]

@lynxtipped It's not really that much different to the wing-warping techniques from the earliest examples of manned flight..... A cool thing yes.... "How we wanted to fly since dawn of time" and "Incredible".... Not really.