Nature Teaches Drones How to Fly Right

A series or new experimental drone designs have been released with "exquisite" flight control, capable of navigating through complex urban environments. Their inspiration? Birds, bats, insects, and even snakes, researchers report.

Fourteen research teams in all presented their work on Friday in a special issue of Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, detailing how the next generation of flying robots will be better equipped to navigate busy cities and handle things like military surveillance and even courier duties with deft.

Guest editor of the special issue, Dr.David Lentink, from Stanford University, described how the "pests" of city-life "have quickly learnt how to control their flight through urban environments to exploit our resources."

"To enable our drones to fly equally well in wind and clutter, we need to solve several flight control challenges during all flight phases: take-off, cruising, and landing," Lentinik adds.

To tackle these design issues, researchers took inspiration for maneuverability from common flies. Buzzing around our food, it is hard to notice what superior fliers these tiny annoyances are, but the researchers are quick to point out that you don't see larger fliers turning on a dime in mid-flight. To mimic this incredible handling, researches are investigating ways to adjust wing stroke in mid-flight for flapping flight robots - regulating and stabilizing complex flight patterns.

Another interesting concept that may have been initially overlooked in traditional drone design is the ability to withstand strong gusts of wind that can buffet a flying robot . According a study conducted in a collaboration between three universities, the hawk moth may hold the solution to this problem, as the "feathery" insect uses a number of unusual flight mechanisms to regain control, even in the midst of vortex conditions.

Even the diving and grasping motions of flying predators have been closely studied in the hope that one day currier drone's will literally swoop in to grab a package with talon-like robotic arms, whisking it away to its intended destination.

The special edition of Bioinspiration and Biomimetics was published on May 23 (Volume 9, Number 2, June 2014)