
Newly developed micro robot bird able to perform reconnaissance - ctingom
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/22654036/newly-developed-micro-robot-bird-able-to-perform-reconnaissance-surveillance#axzz2WrUkKQUb
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netcraft
Very cool, although I don't think we really need anything else to spy on us at
the moment.

This is the first time I have seen a flapping wing vehicle perform that well -
I wonder how power requirements for something like this vs fixed wing with
prop vehicles compare.

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nether
It's much more power efficient at low Reynolds numbers. At higher Reynolds, a
fixed wing is more efficient.

We see this optimization with birds. Larger birds like albatrosses flap much
less than hummingbirds.

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netcraft
I see, so this makes more sense for a smaller vehicle, but for human sized
transportation its much better to have a fixed wing. Thanks!

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lubujackson
Oddly familiar...

[http://files.myopera.com/illithid2003/albums/4327322/encore1...](http://files.myopera.com/illithid2003/albums/4327322/encore15_01.jpg)

