Ornithology
That’s why drones are built from dead birds
Researchers at New Mexico Tech University also used animal preparations to construct two flapping-wing drones. The deceptively real birds are said to infiltrate swarms.
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These birds are actually drones.
Popular Science/Mostafa Hassanalian
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At first glance, they look like normal birds – but the plumage hides high-tech.
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A university in New Mexico is building stuffed birds into drones that move like their own kind.
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The spies are intended to enable researchers to gain insight into a swarm.
A research group from New Mexico Tech University has been using stuffed birds two drones built with flapping wings that look confusingly similar to their flesh-and-blood counterparts. The first drone has a real head and wings of a pheasant, while the second drone has real plumage but everything else is artificial.
Spy Birds can dive into flock
The US research group’s goal is to investigate whether they can monitor wildlife in a more seamless and natural way. The drones are spies that look and behave like birds, or at least are expected to do so in the future. As a video published by the researchers shows, there is room for improvement – the spy is far less graceful than most birds. The researchers say they are aware that this research raises ethical concerns.
To achieve their goal, the group uses computer simulations to determine wing flapping and aerodynamics for a desired set of wings. The result is a slightly clumsy pheasant that can take off and glide. However, the researchers are not yet able to control it precisely.
Soon the drone bird 2.0 will come
The group is confident that a bird drone can be a valuable tool for nature observation, but acknowledges that building the drone has proven difficult.
There are currently several suggestions for improvement, such as making the bird robots look more natural overall or using them flexible wrists, to achieve more agile wings and better flight characteristics. In the future, the drones should also make less noise and have a longer service life.