How do birds fly? A undergraduate project almost takes flight
MEng student Alden Laslett has investigated how birds fly for his third year individual project. He designed and built ‘Robobird’, including the creature’s vital control software, after learning about a similar model inspired by the herring gull, created by the German company Festo.
"I used a flapping mechanism to explore how birds' wings achieve lift and tested it in one of the University's wind tunnels," he explains. "The results are promising, but as the model is still in the preliminary design phase, it is yet to take flight. I learned a lot through the six month project and would have liked to continue with it if I had more time and money."
Engineers at the automation company Festo have designed the ‘Smartbird' an ultralight and powerful model of a bird with excellent aerodynamic qualities and extreme agility which can actually fly; its development has inspired a TED talk on flight.
Alden, a student of mechanical engineering, is hoping to work in robotics after he graduates in 2015.