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Smartbird.

cyclonic

Muse
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Oct 10, 2007
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Plenty of robots can fly -- but none can fly like a real bird. That is, until Markus Fischer and his team at Festo built SmartBird, a large, lightweight robot, modeled on a seagull, that flies by flapping its wings.




:cool::cool::cool:
 
Very impressive, and very hard to do...

...but I have a bit of a recollection that this was done at least once before, though I can't nail it down right now.
 
Pretty, a nice piece of work. There are other ornithopters out there,of course. some have been around for quite some time. Dig around and you may even find designs for making a rubber band powered version. This one, however, is the most realistic/ birdlike I've seen. Could be useful in certain applications, if it can carry sensors etc.
 
first thing I thought was a new version of angrybird(s) :)

I saw this video a while ago. I love their airjelly too.

 
That's amazing, can only imagine the applications for such a creation in the near future. I was surprised at the amount of control the pilot had over it.
 
Made my evening watching the two Festo vids, and how unassuming is Markus?! He is the perfect man to present this fantastic achievement.

I love the grace of both flyers but there was a real serenity with Airjelly, especially upon landing.
 
I saw a hummingbird robot design in a youtube video once. I wonder how long before they'll make one that can spy on people
 
INRM said:
I saw a hummingbird robot design in a youtube video once. I wonder how long before they'll make one that can spy on people
Click to expand...


I already have a few set up around your house INRM. :scared: I spent the latter part of my Air Force career developing Micro-UAVs and weaponizing them. So don't make me angry!
 
I'm not sure what's so amazing. Ornithopters have been around for a long time. I've even built a couple of them out of tissue and basswood. They weren't as elegant looking as this one but the principle is the same. The gear mechanism looks pretty standard.

If this had an on-board computer that was flying it autonomously, then I'd be impressed. But there's clearly someone holding a RC radio.

Steve S
 
From an ornithologists' perspective, I am impressed. If for no other purpose than to one day punk birders, their efforts have been totally worth it. Paint that thing up like a Kelp Gull and let it fly around Plum Island or Cape May. Hilarity will ensue.
 
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