Scientists are using lasers and a goggle-wearing parrot for the design of flying robots of the future.

A barely visible fog hangs in the air in a California laboratory, illuminated by a laser. And through it flies a parrot, outfitted with a pair of tiny, red-tinted goggles to protect its eyes.

As the bird flaps its way through the water particles, its wings generate disruptive waves, tracing patterns that help scientists understand how animals fly.

In a new study, a team of scientists measured and analyzed the particle trails that were produced by the goggle-wearing parrot’s test flights, and showed that previous computer models of wing movement aren’t as accurate as they once thought. This new perspective on flight dynamics could inform future wing designs in autonomous flying robots, according to the study authors.

Learn more (opens external site)

 

Leave a Reply

Submit a Team Connection

Click here to submit a new Bioinspired Design Connection (you must be logged in first).

Browse Team Connections

Choose by category, team or week:

BioDesign Connections by Category (2020 – 2022)

by Team (2022 only)

by Week (2022 only)

Most Recent Connections

Connection Interactions

Recent Comments

  1. to reduce the impact of car accidents, it may be possible to study the force diverting physics of cockroaches to…

Top Voted Connections