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A research team at Festo has developed SmartBird, a biomechatronic bird that can take off, fly and land autonomously.
Festo claims that SmartBird flies, glides and moves through the air like its counterpart in nature — the herring gull — with no additional drive mechanism.
The aim of the SmartBird project was to achieve an overall structure that is efficient in terms of resource and energy consumption, with minimal overall weight, in conjunction with the functional integration of propulsion and lift in the wings and a flight control unit in the torso and tail regions.
Further requirements were excellent aerodynamics, high power density for propulsion and maximum agility for the flying craft.
The propulsion and lift, as intended, are achieved solely by the flapping of the wings and have a power requirement of around 23W. Its wings can move up and down and twist at specific angles, which is made possible by an active articulated torsional drive unit.
SmartBird has a total weight of around 450g and a wingspan of 2m. Measurements are said to have demonstrated an electromechanical efficiency factor of around 45 per cent and an aerodynamic efficiency factor of up to 80 per cent.
Onboard electronics ensure precise wing control. In addition, the torsion control parameters can be adjusted and optimised in real time during flight.
Similarly, the wing flapping and twisting sequence is controlled to within only a few milliseconds and results in optimum airflow around the wings.
Festo’s SmartBird will be making its first public flight at the 2011 Hannover Fair next week.
Nice April fool
I am absolutely speechless. Are you sure that’s not a real bird in a Festo birdsuit??
Amazing….their tech is fabulous.
Good job there, Festo!!
Hmm – check the date!
Me too. Amazing.
My first reaction was is this an April Fool joke?
My second was jaw dropping ..
outstanding ..
my Dad (ex RAF who wouldve loved his own set of wings) who died last year would have found this inspiring!
I take it this is model 01.04 ?
23W of power for 450gm SMARTBIRD with 2 metre wing span.
Efficiencies: 45% (electro-mechanical) & 80% (aerodynamical)
Would love to have other info such as Speed of travel, endurance (distance that could be traveled/flown with on-board energy), Comparative efficiency numbers for large soaring birds like Albatross, Hawks, Vultures.
The video also did not include how it lands and how does it look when landing is done.
Does any reader think LOW SPEED flying would ever be popular (we still do not know how to dodge strong wind, landing on high voltage electric cables.
Anyone who thinks it’s an April fools joke should visit the Festo web site and see what else they do
well it beats a 3/2 valve any day. How long before it gets used in a Bond movie as the spy in the sky?
Fantastic Invention here ! Keep it up Gentlemen there !
I can see that the wing is a bit stiff and did not made it to the full swing ! it will be much more perfect if this can be done in the near future soon ! Well done there !
That is cool, they should take it on a school roadshow trip around the country, that would get kids interested in engineering…
Facinating item,would like more information such as constructional and
mechanical details together with possible uses and future prospects.
Absolutely remarkable and astonishing achievement !! I could barely believe that such an innovation may exists… amazing !