Daily Archives: December 12, 2011

A Hive of Robotic Bees

In a previous post, Harvard’s work toward developing a tiny robotic fly was discussed.  The idea proved interesting enough: small, insect-sized flying robots roughly 1.5 centimeters in length.  With enough revision, these robotic flies may even prove useful for more than just breaking new ground in small flight, such as aiding in rescue or gathering […]

The Saker Falcon

The Saker Falcon is a very big falcon, one of the biggest with a wingspan of 105-129 cm and a length of 47-55cm. It is almost as large as the Gyrfalcon, and is a bird of prey which breeds from eastern Europe eastwards across Asia to Manchuria. There are several sub-species of Saker falcons; the steain […]

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a…Mobula Ray?

When it comes to the world of the great blue sea, people generally don’t tend to think of things flying through the air.  Sure, sometimes someone will bring up flying fish.  Penguins also may come to mind, but they are just birds who can’t fly.  Out there though there are much, much weirder members of […]

Why Can the Peregrine Falcon Fly So Fast?

The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on earth. When not hunting, this bird generally flies between 40 and 60 mph. However, when diving to catch its prey, the peregrine falcon can reach speeds of up to 220 mph. What allows it to reach such high speeds when other birds cannot? The peregrine falcon has […]

Leading Edge Vortices In Bats

Using Digital Particle Image Velocimetry, scientists are able to show the velocity of the airflow surrounding the wing of the bat. This demonstrates the leading edge vortices that occur on the surface of a bat wing. Bats are different than insects and birds in the way that they fly. They are different because instead of […]