Drones with flapping wings camouflaged with taxidermy bird bodies could help study flocks of wild birds or enable military espionage missions, but they’re not yet the most efficient way to fly.
technology
February 14, 2023
A project to incorporate dead birds into flapping drones could enable new ways to covertly spy on wildlife, and could even spy on people for military purposes.
“Instead of using artificial materials to make drones, we can take dead birds and redesign them as drones,” said Mostafa Hassanarian of New Mexico Tech University.
Hassanalian and his colleagues combined taxidermied bird parts with artificial flapping drone mechanisms to more closely mimic the general appearance and movements of live birds. They conducted flight tests with two look-alike bird drones. One combines artificial bird body parts with real pheasants …
