Festo SmartBird - Bird flight deciphered

http://www.festo.com/smartbird_en

SmartBird is an ultralight but powerful flight model with excellent aerodynamic qualities and extreme agility. With SmartBird, Festo has succeeded in deciphering the flight of birds - one of the oldest dreams of humankind.

This bionic technology-bearer, which is inspired by the herring gull, can start, fly and land autonomously -- with no additional drive mechanism. Its wings not only beat up and down, but also twist at specific angles. This is made possible by an active articulated torsional drive unit, which in combination with a complex control system attains an unprecedented level of efficiency in flight operation. Festo has thus succeeded for the first time in creating an energy-efficient technical adaptation of this model from nature.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[DeadXRiders]

i wanna work there!

[Rathana Pen]

Amazing! simply amazing! I'm just a bit disappointed it took sooo many years to finally get it right :P

[substitute101]

make your own...

[GypsyWinchesterify]

That's because, in the real world, the bird's tail IS the rudder in flight. Without their tail, the bird pretty much acts like the first test they did ...

[GypsyWinchesterify]

That's because they were looking at the wings ... its all wings, and people don't take into thought the effect that the tail has. Especially of the bats, the tail aid in propulsion and thrust, allowing an easier take off. The tail acts as the rudder for birds ... The tail is, in fact, just as important as the wings. There are birds who have missing tails and cannot attain any sustainable amount of flight.

[renegader]

It kind of didn't. Ornithopter have been around for a long time. It's still just a giant ornithopter with a few fancy tricks. There are too many things that the SmartBird doesn't do to actually mimic bird flight. It doesn't follow the bird's wing bone structure to be fully articulated, and also, birds do not need a rudder to stabilize their flight.

[Christopher Guenole]

Mount a machine gun on it and shoot other birds

[EkBalam707]

Interesting Robot 

[UPIN THEAIRNZ]

cool realy cool i want one

[Nihal Shaikh]

This one of the best invention for mankind, Thanks for sharing.

[phil7phil]

FESTO Germany succeeded to buit the first flying robot: a bionic bird.

[imagine45]

it's great , after your video I think it's time for me to make a working

model for my man powered flapping wing may I have the information of your

twisted wing design ?