Engineers look to the birds for the future of unmanned aerial vehicles
Tuesday, June 7, 2011 - 12:30
in Physics & Chemistry
Engineers are mimicking the movement of bird wings to help improve the maneuverability of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). UAVs are often used for surveillance of a fixed target in military and civilian applications. A fixed wing aircraft capable of spot landing on a perch (top of a pole, building, fence, etc.) would be an ideal solution capable of efficient cruising and versatile landing for longer surveillance missions.