A Robotic Model Equipped with Real Pigeon Feathers Mimics Bird Flight

Ever wondered why airplanes have a vertical tailfin? It stabilizes their flight. While flying without one would be more energy-efficient, efforts to achieve this in aviation have yet to succeed. Interestingly, birds manage just fine without a vertical fin—so how do they achieve stability?

Pigeon-Inspired Robotics

David Lentink, a Professor of Biomimetics at the University of Groningen, has created a robotic bird model equipped with real pigeon feathers to demonstrate how birds achieve stability. His earlier research revealed that birds constantly modify the shape of their wings and tail. In his latest study, published in Science Robotics, he showcases a pigeon-inspired robot capable of mimicking these movements.

An algorithm operates nine servo motors that adjust the feathers, allowing the wings and tail to change shape continuously. This mimics the reflexes birds are believed to use for stabilization.

In 1929, German scientist Franz Groebbels suggested that these reflexes enable birds to fly like “automatic airplanes.” Nearly a century later, the robotic bird “PigeonBot II” validated his theory through successful wind tunnel tests and autonomous flight in open air.

In addition to demonstrating how birds fly without vertical tailfins, Lentink’s work paves the way for designing more fuel-efficient airplanes. “The European Airbus group developed a concept illustrating what such an aircraft could look like. Our study offers the knowledge needed to turn their vision into reality.”

Moreover, this design concept reduces a plane’s radar signature, potentially enhancing jet fighter performance.

Read the original article on: Tech Xplore

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