Fierce and majestic, the dinosaurs that walked this earth before us star in the dreams of many a child. Perhaps the most majestic of them all, the mighty pterosaur soared above the earth, king of the skies. Recent articles and reports from science writers have tried to burst this dream with the claim that the […]
If anyone has ever seen (or squashed) a moth, they’ve probably noticed the powdery residue that comes off them. What many people don’t understand is that that residue isn’t a powder. They’re scales…Yes, scales. The moth’s family nomenclature is Lepidoptera, which means “scale wing”. Why would moths have scales on the device that they primarily […]
Researchers at Harvard and MIT have been hard at work trying to understand the mechanics of in flight collision avoidance in birds. the goal of this project is to develop small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles that can navigate a forest or urban setting without crashing into trees or buildings, while still being able to fly relatively […]
The albatross is one of nature’s most interesting creatures. They seem to fly for hours and hours and yet they only flap their wings on rare occasions. The instinct and evolutionary advantage that permits the albatross to decrease the flapping needed to stay in flight is called Dynamic Soaring. The albatross is perhaps the most famous […]
Have you ever wondered how birds can switch from barreling forward at full speed to gently touching down on a target as narrow as a telephone wire? And, how can we use this to improve the way our planes land? These are the topics that are going to be covered within this article.
In every class of animals, there are species that push the limits of what their genetic family can do. The peregrine falcon can dive at speeds of up to 200mph. Cheetahs can run up to 70 mph. Insects also have an exceptional species within their ranks, the hawk moth. The hawk moth can fly 12mph […]
It is no surprise that humanity’s first attempts at human powered flight were based on birdlike structures. The first proposed reasonable flying device was proposed by the prodigious artist and engineer Leonardo Da Vinci in 1490 and consisted of a giant bat-looking aircraft that used the pilot’s arms and legs to power the wings. However, […]
The Great White Pelican is indeed one of the most interesting birds in the avian species. It is capable of the feats of multiple birds, such as extended flight, and even swimming. However, the characteristic that makes this bird unique is the fact that it has a “gular pouch” within it’s beak. However, before I […]
This is the blog of the engineering freshman seminar course titled “Bio-Aerial Locomotion”, taught by Prof. Lorena Barba at Boston University. This course is one of several options of the Introduction to Engineering series (EK 131/132) at the College of Engineering. The course aims to motivate the subject of bio-inspired engineering, characterized by seeking examples […]
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