Robotic swift that flies and spies

Robotic swift that flies and spies
29 Jul 2007, 1859 hrs IST,ANI
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WASHINGTON: Dutch researchers at the Technical University of Delft have designed a micro airplane that mimics the swift. The swift is not only the smallest soaring bird, but can go up to three years without landing.

Named RoboSwift, the micro airplane has shape-shifting, adjustable wings that allow it to manoeuvre at very high or low speeds.

With a wingspan of about one-and-a-half feet and weighing just under three ounces, the remote-controlled Roboswift is slightly larger and heavier than a common swift. But like the common swift, the robot can change its wing shape and surface area to glide or dive.

According to its designers, the robotic bird could prove useful in conducting surveys over disaster areas, or to peek in on suspicious people.

“Roboswift looks like a real common swift and people don’t recognize it as a robotic bird,” said Stan Kosman, RoboSwift’s team leader and an undergraduate student in aerospace engineering at the university.

Kosman said key to the design is a pair of wings made of four feathers each, which can fold in over each other.

Folding the feathers in on just one wing creates a difference in lift and enables the bird to right or left, while folding the wings in on both sides reduces the surface area and allows the bird to dive or fly faster.

Soaring can be achieved by spreading the feathers out as far as they will go, increasing the surface area, Kosman said.

A foldable propeller gives the micro airplane lift and then folds smoothly over the aircraft’s body when turned off to reduce drag and improve gliding performance. Three tiny cameras allow the ground-control pilot to see what the bird sees and steer it in the right direction, he added.

“What they’re doing is a worthwhile thing. The more flexibility you put in the wings, the greater your flight performance is going to be,” said Anthony Colozza, a research and development engineer at Analex, an aerospace contractor at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Dutch team will test their control skills this September when they fly Roboswift in a wind tunnel. After that, they plan to build three robotic birds to participate in the First American-Asian Micro Air Vehicle competition in India next March, reports Discovery News.