Flight of the drones
How do scientists build better flying robots? They look to the natural world for inspiration, investigating the adaptations that allow winged animals to efficiently navigate through the air, even under difficult conditions.
Today's aerial drones are more sophisticated than ever, and will likely continue to improve in performance as scientists uncover more of the secrets to insects', bats' and birds' flying success.
Here are some examples of the latest discoveries in animal flight research and bio-mimicking drones
Diver down
Many flying robots soar to great heights, but a new type of drone can also plunge into water from midair, just like certain water birds do. The Aquatic Micro Air Vehicle (AquaMAV) has morphing wings that fold up when it dives. Weighing a mere 7 ounces (200 grams), AquaMAV can fly to flooded or aquatic destinations to conduct brief data-gathering forays in water, and then blast its way back into the air using jet propulsion to return to home base.
Power-napping
During migration, some birds can fly for days or even months at a time without taking a break, and how they sleep during these long flights is a question that has long puzzled scientists. It was formerly thought that far-flying frigate birds rested one cerebral hemisphere at a time — literally sleeping with one eye open. But a new study conducted the first brain scans of these birds during their extended migratory journeys, finding that at times they were fully asleep while still in flight, but very briefly and only during soaring and gliding maneuvers.
Silent flight
Scientists took a closer look at owl wings to understand how these avian predators can fly without making a sound. Biologists, mathematicians and engineers investigated owls' aerodynamic performance; they found that many wing features combine to produce noiseless flight. They discovered that owls' large wing size allows them to fly at slower speeds, reducing the amount of noise they make, while interlocking feather structures and a velvety surface texture also dampen sound, as does fringe trailing from the wing's edge.
Flight of the drones
How do scientists build better flying robots? They look to the natural world for inspiration, investigating the adaptations that allow winged animals to efficiently navigate through the air, even under difficult conditions.
Today's aerial drones are more sophisticated than ever, and will likely continue to improve in performance as scientists uncover more of the secrets to insects', bats' and birds' flying success.
Here are some examples of the latest discoveries in animal flight research and bio-mimicking drones
Diver down
Many flying robots soar to great heights, but a new type of drone can also plunge into water from midair, just like certain water birds do. The Aquatic Micro Air Vehicle (AquaMAV) has morphing wings that fold up when it dives. Weighing a mere 7 ounces (200 grams), AquaMAV can fly to flooded or aquatic destinations to conduct brief data-gathering forays in water, and then blast its way back into the air using jet propulsion to return to home base.
Power-napping
During migration, some birds can fly for days or even months at a time without taking a break, and how they sleep during these long flights is a question that has long puzzled scientists. It was formerly thought that far-flying frigate birds rested one cerebral hemisphere at a time — literally sleeping with one eye open. But a new study conducted the first brain scans of these birds during their extended migratory journeys, finding that at times they were fully asleep while still in flight, but very briefly and only during soaring and gliding maneuvers.
Silent flight
Scientists took a closer look at owl wings to understand how these avian predators can fly without making a sound. Biologists, mathematicians and engineers investigated owls' aerodynamic performance; they found that many wing features combine to produce noiseless flight. They discovered that owls' large wing size allows them to fly at slower speeds, reducing the amount of noise they make, while interlocking feather structures and a velvety surface texture also dampen sound, as does fringe trailing from the wing's edge.
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