Bird-Like Drone Created For Better Flight

There are different types of drones, but the two main categories are quadcopters and those that resemble planes. With regards to the latter case, these drones are made for speed and sustained flights, which can be a challenge due to technological constraints. However, by adding bird-like features to drones such as feathers, engineers are hoping to improve performance and extend flight time.

The drone in question was created by researchers at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems after observing how feathers helped sustain the flight of birds and improve their maneuverability, even after facing strong headwinds, Phys.org reports. Taking this into account, the researchers created synthetic equivalents and attached them to a new type of drone.

To be sure, modern aircraft have been taking a cue from birds for a long time, which is mostly exemplified by how well jets can take off and turn in the air by adjusting the angle of the flaps of the wings. The new drone addition simply takes this to the next level by having multiple parts of the wings adjust accordingly based on how they want to turn.

By simply changing the span and shape of its wings, the drone could maneuver through much tighter places that conventional drones are still unable to fly through. Their findings have already been published in the Interface Focus journal.

“The wing is integrated into a drone equipped with a frontal motor for propulsion and roll is controlled by the controlled by the asymmetric morphing of the wing and pitch through a servomotor that moves an elevator located in the tail,” the paper reads.

The biggest obstacles to creating the drone include its design and the materials, Daily Mail reports. The wings needed to be easily retractable should be flexible and had to be light. Although there is still more work to be done, the researchers felt confident about their drone’s capabilities.