[Tyler]

SmartBird - bioinspired robotic bird by FESTO
     



   


  The latest addition to the long line of the famous biomemetic robots of
Festo is the SmartBird, a
flying model that shares the same
principal of operation with birds and in particular it is inspired from
the herring
gull. The SmartBird is lightweight and it
can emulate very accurately the function of a bird even though it uses
only a single electric motor and 4 servos. It has two interconnected
rods that dictate the wing flapping movement and a servo located at each
wingtip to actively twist the wing. Another pair of servos controls the
2doF tail and ‘head’. Birds are flying in a way closer to
helicopters
than airplanes and in a way they combine the benefits from both. Their
wings follow a periodic reciprocating pattern that on its own creates
the relative air velocity necessary for generating lift. This enables
them to use their wing both for propulsion and lift while they can also
take-off instantly and hover. When air velocity is high enough they are
also able to hover without consuming any energy. The SmartBird can
take-off and land autonomously. In-flight control is provided by the
active twist of the wing (like the Flyer I
of the Wright Brothers!) and the movement of the tail. You can read
the official
brochure from FESTO (pdf) or watch another
video showcasing the inner workings of the SmartBird after the jump.
   

http://robots.net/article/3133.html
     

[Art]

That was an amazing find, Tyler. Very realistic, expecially from a distance.

[DaveMorton]

I was pretty impressed, too. It seems that someone has finally re-created Bubo

[Freddy]

Wow !

[Art]

@GCC,

I believe there was another very lifelike OWL that had a brief appearance in the 2007 movie: Blade Runner.
When Rutger Hauer went up to confront his maker, Mr. Tyrell, one could see the animatronic bird.

Great movie BTW especially for the SyFy buffs and AI fans as well. It also fills in the gap with a most beautiful woman, Sean Young (is she real or not...you decide).