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An ornithopter (from Greek ornithos "bird" and pteron "wing") is an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Flight is the process by which an object achieves sustained movement either through the Air (or movement beyond Earth's atmosphere, in the case of Designers seek to imitate the flapping-wing flight of birds, bats, and insects. Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Though machines may differ in form, they are usually built on the same scale as these flying creatures. The concept of scale is applicable if a system is represented proportionally by another system Manned ornithopters have also been built, and some successful flights have been reported.

Sean Kinkade Skybird
Sean Kinkade Skybird

Contents

Early history

The idea of constructing wings in order to imitate the flight of birds dates to the ancient Greek legend of Daedalus and Icarus. Flight is the main mode of locomotion used by most of the world's bird species This article is about the mythological character For other uses see Daedalus (disambiguation. Icarus ( Greek:, Latin: Íkaros, Etruscan: Vicare) is a character in Greek mythology. Roger Bacon, writing in 1260, was among the first to consider a technological means of flight. For the Nova Scotia premier see Roger Bacon (politician. Roger Bacon, O Around 1490, Leonardo da Vinci began to study the flight of birds. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer He grasped that humans are too heavy, and not strong enough, to fly using wings simply attached to the arms. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus Physical strength is the ability of a person or animal to exert Force on physical objects using muscles. In Anatomy, an arm is one of the Upper limbs of an animal The term arm can also be used for analogous structures such as one of the paired upper limbs Therefore he proposed a device in which the aviator lies down on a plank and works two large, membranous wings using hand levers, foot pedals, and a system of pulleys.

The first ornithopters capable of flight were constructed in France in the 1870s. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Gustav Trouvé's 1870 model flew a distance of 70 meters in a demonstration for the French Academy of Sciences. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The wings were flapped by gunpowder charges activating a bourdon tube. Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes Many techniques have been developed for the measurement of Pressure and Vacuum. Jobert in 1871 used a rubber band to power a small model bird. A rubber band (in some regions known as a binder, elastic band, lackey band, elastic blubber, "laggy band" or gumband') Alphonse Penaud, Hureau de Villeneuve, Victor Tatin, and others soon followed with their own designs.

Around 1890, Lawrence Hargrave built several ornithopters powered by steam or compressed air. Lawrence Hargraves (29 January 1850 – 14 July 1915 was an Engineer, explorer astronomer, Inventor and aeronautical pioneer Uses A Steam engine uses the expansion of steam in order to drive a Piston or Turbine to perform Mechanical work. Compressed air He introduced the use of small flapping wings providing the thrust for a larger fixed wing. This eliminated the need for gear reduction, thereby simplifying the construction. To achieve a more birdlike appearance, this approach is not generally favored today.

In the 1930s, Erich von Holst carried the rubber band powered bird model to a high state of development and great realism. Erich von Holst ( November 28, 1908 - May 26, 1962) was a German behavioral Physiologist who was a native of Riga Also in the 1930s, Alexander Lippisch and other researchers in Germany harnessed the piston internal combustion engine. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

Manned flight

Schmid 1942 Ornithopter
Schmid 1942 Ornithopter
The UTIAS Ornithopter No.1
The UTIAS Ornithopter No.1

Perhaps because the prevailing culture favors fixed-wing aircraft, people are mainly aware of the failed attempts at flapping-wing flight. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Overview Fixed-wing aircraft range from small training and recreational aircraft to Wide-body aircraft and military cargo aircraft. This article describes only the more successful attempts. The machines are of two general types: those with engines, and those powered by the muscles of the pilot. Muscle (from Latin musculus, diminutive of mus "mouse" is contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the

In 1929, a man-powered ornithopter designed by Alexander Lippisch flew a distance of 250 to 300 meters after tow launch. The flight duration was necessarily short due to the limitations of human muscle power. Since a tow launch was used, some have questioned whether the aircraft was capable of sustained flight, however brief. Lippisch asserted that the aircraft was actually flying, not making an extended glide. Later tow-launched flights include Bedford Maule (1942), Emil Hartmann (1959), and Vladimir Toporov (1993). All faced similar limitations due to the reliance on human muscle power.

In 1942, Adalbert Schmid flew a motorized, manned ornithopter at Munich-Laim. It was driven by small flapping wings mounted at the sides of the fuselage, behind a larger fixed wing. The fuselage (from the French fuselé "spindle-shaped" is an Aircraft 's main body section that holds crew and passengers or Cargo Fitted with a 3 hp Sachs motorcycle engine, it made flights up to 15 minutes in duration. A minute is a Unit of measurement of Time or of Angle. The minute is a unit of Time equal to 1/60th of an Hour or 60 Schmid later constructed a 10 hp ornithopter based on the Grunau-Baby IIa sailplane, which was flown in 1947. The second aircraft had flapping outer wing panels. [1]

In 2005, Yves Rousseau was given the Paul Tissandier Diploma, awarded by the FAI for contributions to the field of aviation. Yves Rousseau (France is credited with some ultralight aircraft FAI world records and has received international recognition for his 13 years of work on human-powered Rousseau attempted his first human-muscle-powered flight with flapping wings in 1995. On 20 April 2006, at his 212th attempt, he succeeded in flying a distance of 64 metres, observed by officials of the Aero Club de France. Unfortunately, on his 213th flight attempt, a gust of wind led to a wing breaking up, causing the pilot to be gravely injured and rendered paraplegic. [2]

A team at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, headed by Professor James DeLaurier, worked for several years on an engine-powered, piloted ornithopter. The University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, or UTIAS (pronounced you-TIE-us was established in 1949 The meaning of the word professor ( Latin: professor, person who professes to be an expert in some art or science teacher of highest rank) varies James D DeLaurier is an inventor and Professor emeritus of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies. A year (from Old English gēr) is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the Orbit of the Earth around the Sun In July 2006, at the Bombardier Airfield at Downsview Park in Toronto, Professor DeLaurier's machine, the UTIAS Ornithopter No.1 made a jet-assisted takeoff and 14-second flight. Downsview Park is a former Canadian Forces Base in Downsview, a neighbourhood in the north end of Toronto, Ontario, which is now Canada's Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units According to DeLaurier[3], the jet was necessary for sustained flight, but the flapping wings did most of the work. [4]

Recent developments

Practical applications capitalize on the resemblance to birds or insects. The Colorado Division of Wildlife has used these machines to help save the endangered Gunnison Sage Grouse. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming Extinct because it is either few in numbers or threatened by changing environmental or predation The sage-grouse are the Species in the Bird Genus Centrocercus. An artificial hawk under the control of an operator causes the grouse to remain on the ground so they can be captured for study. The term hawk can be used in several ways In strict usage in Europe and Asia, to mean any of the Species in the Subfamily

Because ornithopters resemble birds or insects, they could be used for military applications, such as spying without alerting the enemies that they are under surveillance. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking AeroVironment, Inc. , led by Paul B. MacCready (Gossamer Albatross), has developed a remotely piloted ornithopter the size of a large insect for possible spy missions. The Gossamer Albatross was a Human-powered aircraft built by American Aeronautical engineer Dr

MacCready also developed in the mid-1980s, for the Smithsonian Institution, a half-scale radio controlled replica of the giant pterosaur, Quetzalcoatlus northropi. The Smithsonian Institution (smɪθsoʊnɪən is an educational and research institute and associated Museum complex administered and funded by the Government of Radio control (often abbreviated to R/C or simply RC) is the use of radio signals to remotely control a device For other meanings see Pterodactyl (disambiguation. Pterosaurs (ˈtɛrəsɔr from the Greek πτερόσαυρος pterosauros Quetzalcoatlus (named for the Aztec feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl) was a pterodactyloid Pterosaur known from the Late Cretaceous The model had a wingspan of 5. The wingspan (or just span) of an airplane or a Bird, is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip 5 meters (18 feet) and featured a complex, computerized autopilot control system, just as the full-size pterosaur relied on its neuromuscular system to make constant adjustments in flight. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions.

Researchers hope to eliminate the motors and gears of current designs by more closely imitating animal flight muscles. This is the page for mechanical Gears For other uses see Gear (disambiguation For the gear-like device used to drive a roller chain see Sprocket Georgia Tech scientist Robert C. Michelson is developing a Reciprocating Chemical Muscle for use in micro-scale flapping-wing aircraft. Robert C Michelson is an American engineer and academic He is widely known for inventing the Entomopter at GTRI and for establishing the International Aerial The Reciprocating Chemical Muscle (RCM is a mechanism that takes advantage of the superior energy density of chemical reactions Michelson uses the term "entomopter" for this type of ornithopter. SRI International is developing polymer artificial muscles which may also be used for flapping-wing flight. SRI International, based in the United States is one of the world's largest contract Research institutes. A polymer is a large Molecule ( Macromolecule) composed of repeating Structural units typically connected by Covalent Chemical bonds

In 2002, Krister Wolff and Peter Nordin of Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, built a flapping wing robot that learned flight techniques. Peter Nordin is a Swedish computer scientist who has contributed to artificial intelligence automatically generated computer programming machine learning and evolutionary robotics Chalmers University of Technology or Chalmers tekniska Högskola ( CTH) often Chalmers, is a University in Gothenburg, "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. [5] The balsa wood design was driven by machine learning software technology known as a steady state linear evolutionary algorithm. Wood is hard fibrous lignified structural tissue produced as secondary Xylem in the stems of Woody plants notably trees but also shrubs Machine learning is a subfield of Artificial intelligence that is concerned with the design and development of Algorithms and techniques that allow computers to "learn" In Artificial intelligence, an evolutionary algorithm (EA is a Subset of Evolutionary computation, a generic population-based Metaheuristic Inspired by natural evolution, the software “evolves” in response to feedback on how well it performs a given task. eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 Although confined to a laboratory apparatus, their ornithopter evolved behavior for maximum sustained lift force and horizontal movement. [6]

Ornithopters as a hobby

The Dragonfly is a toy made by Wow-Wee.
The Dragonfly is a toy made by Wow-Wee.

Hobbyists can build and fly their own ornithopters. A hobby is a spare-time Recreational pursuit Etymology A Hobby horse is a wooden or Wickerwork toy made to be These range from light-weight models powered by rubber band, to larger models with radio control.

The rubber-band-powered model can be fairly simple in design and construction. Hobbyists compete for the longest flight times with these models. Competition is a rivalry between individuals groups nations or animals for territory or resources An introductory model can be fairly simple in design and construction, but the advanced competition designs are extremely delicate and challenging to build. Roy White holds the US national record for indoor rubber-powered, with his flight time of 21 minutes, 44 seconds. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Commercial free-flight rubber-band powered toy ornithopters have long been available. This article is about playthings For other uses of the term see Toy (disambiguation. The first of these was sold under the name Tim Bird in Paris in 1879. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city [7] Later models were also sold as Tim Bird (made by G de Ruymbeke, France, since 1969).

Commercial radio controlled designs stem from Percival Spencer's engine-powered Seagulls, developed circa 1958, and Sean Kinkade's work in the late 1990s. The wings are usually driven by an electric motor. Many hobbyists enjoy experimenting with their own new wing designs and mechanisms. The opportunity to interact with real birds in their own domain also adds great enjoyment to this hobby. Birds are often curious and will follow or investigate the model while it is flying. In a few cases, RC birds have been attacked by birds of prey, crows, and even cats. Birds of prey are Birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing using their keen senses especially vision The true crows are large Passerine Birds that comprise the Genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. WikipediaManual of Style (spelling, articles should conform to one overall spelling style of English typically the one most linked to the article topic (if it is geographic More recent cheaper models such as the Dragonfly from WowWee have extended the market from dedicated hobbyists to the general toy market,

Some helpful resources for hobbyists include The Ornithopter Design Manual, book written by Nathan Chronister, and The Ornithopter Zone web site, which includes a large amount of information about building and flying these models. The Flytech Dragonfly is WowWee 's entry into remote-controlled flying toy industry WowWee Group Limited, an Optimal Group company (NASDAQ OPMR is a Hong Kong-based company founded by Richard and Peter Yanofsky

Aerodynamics

Main article: Aerodynamics

Unlike fixed-wing aircraft (which derive their lift from the wings and thrust from the propellor or jet), an ornithopter's wings themselves provide both lift and thrust, and have a flapping motion instead of rotary. In the context of a Fluid flow relative to a body the lift force is the component of the Aerodynamic force that is Perpendicular to the flow Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton 's Second and Third Laws. A propeller is essentially a type of fan which transmits power by converting Rotational motion into Thrust for propulsion of a vehicle such as an specific --->A jet engine is a Reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet of Fluid to Theoretically, the flapping wing can be set to zero angle of attack on the upstroke, so it passes easily through the air. Angle of attack ( AOA, \alpha Greek letter alpha) is a term used in Aerodynamics to describe the Angle between the Temperature and layers The temperature of the Earth's atmosphere varies with altitude the mathematical relationship between temperature and altitude varies among five Since the flapping airfoils produce both lift and thrust, drag-inducing structures are minimized. An airfoil (in American English) or aerofoil (in British English) is the shape of a Wing or blade (of a Propeller, rotor In Fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called fluid resistance) is the force that resists the movement of a Solid object through a Fluid (a These two advantages potentially allow a high degree of efficiency.

As demonstrated by birds, flapping wings offer potential advantages in maneuverability and energy savings compared with fixed-wing aircraft. In Physics and other Sciences energy (from the Greek grc ἐνέργεια - Energeia, "activity operation" from grc ἐνεργός

From general aerodynamic considerations, ornithopters appear to make more efficient use of power than rotating propeller or jet aircraft do. However, this is only the case at low velocities and masses, as wing area required for lift at high speeds is very small as is the ideal pitch of propeller, turboprop or turbofan engines. In Physics, velocity is defined as the rate of change of Position. Mass is a fundamental concept in Physics, roughly corresponding to the Intuitive idea of how much Matter there is in an object Speed is the rate of motion, or equivalently the rate of change in position often expressed as Distance d traveled per unit of Blade pitch or simply pitch refers to turning the Angle of attack of the blades of a Propeller into or out of the wind to control the production or absorption A turboprop engine is a type of aircraft powerplant that uses a Gas turbine engine to drive a Propeller. A turbofan is a type of Jet engine, similar to a Turbojet. It essentially consists of a Ducted fan with a smaller diameter turbojet engine Other difficulties that have prevented major practical application appear to be the required mechanisms and structures, and the comfort of passengers since the ornithopter body typically oscillates counter to the wing motion. Oscillation is the repetitive variation typically in Time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of Equilibrium) or between two or more different states

However, the main issue in constructing large manned ornithopters is the problem of wing loading. In Aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing For similarly shaped flyers, the weight increases as the cube of linear dimension, while the lift-producing surface area increases only as the square of linear dimension. In the Physical sciences weight is a Measurement of the gravitational Force acting on an object In Arithmetic and Algebra, the cube of a number n is its third power &mdash the result of multiplying it by itself three times Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. In Algebra, the square of a number is that number multiplied by itself Thus as the payload portion of the flyer gets larger, the wings must increase in size disproportionately in order to maintain wing loading at levels where lift can overcome the craft's total weight. In military aircraft or space exploration the payload is the carrying capacity of an aircraft or space ship including as Cargo, Munitions scientific instruments These much larger wings are then more difficult to flap.

While difficulties arise from larger wings, flapping is not impossible. King Vulture and the Stork, are fully capable of flight. The King Vulture, Sarcoramphus papa, is a large Central and South American Bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae Storks are large long-legged long-necked wading Birds with long stout bills, belonging to the family Ciconiidae. Some of the largest flying animals to have ever existed are now extinct. These include, the Pteranodon, the Quetzalcoatlus, and the Hatzegopteryx, all of which had massive wingspans fully capable of flapping to achieve flight. Pteranodon (tɨˈrænədɒn from Greek πτερ- "wing" and αν -οδων "toothless" from the Late Cretaceous ( Quetzalcoatlus (named for the Aztec feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl) was a pterodactyloid Pterosaur known from the Late Cretaceous Hatzegopteryx (" Haţeg basin wing" is a Genus of azhdarchid Pterosaur, known from incomplete remains found in Transylvania

Notable popular culture

See also

References

  1. ^ Bruno Lange, Typenhandbuch der deutschen Luftfahrttechnik, Koblenz, 1986.
  2. ^ FAI web site.
  3. ^ Dr. James DeLaurier's report on the Flapper's Flight July 8, 2006
  4. ^ University of Toronto ornithopter takes off July 31, 2006
  5. ^ Winged robot learns to fly New Scientist, August 2002
  6. ^ Creation of a learning, flying robot by means of Evolution In Proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference, GECCO 2002 (pp. Overview Fixed-wing aircraft range from small training and recreational aircraft to Wide-body aircraft and military cargo aircraft. A Variable-sweep wing is an Aeroplane Wing that may be swept back and then returned to its original position during flight A variable-incidence wing has an adjustable Angle of incidence in order to reduce landing and take-off distances Variable camber wing is a design of aircraft Wing by VJ Burnelli that changes the camber of the Airfoil (1933 and varies the area and camber Classes of rotorcraft Helicopter See also Helicopter A helicopter is a rotorcraft whose rotors are driven by the engine(s throughout the flight Configuration An autogyro is characterised by a free-spinning rotor that turns due to passage of air upwards through the rotor History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. FanWing or fan wing is a concept for a type of Aircraft. It is distinct from existing types of aircraft such as airplanes and helicopters in that it uses a Fixed STOL is an Initialism for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe Aircraft with very short Runway requirements VTOL is an abbreviation for Vertical Take-Off and Landing. VTOL describes Fixed-wing aircraft that can lift off vertically STOVL is an acronym for S hort T ake O ff and V ertical L anding Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL is a term used to describe Aircraft that are able to take-off or land vertically or on short runways Micromechanical Flying Insect (MFI project is research effort to develop a flying robot based on living insects flight techniques i The Flytech Dragonfly is WowWee 's entry into remote-controlled flying toy industry WowWee Group Limited, an Optimal Group company (NASDAQ OPMR is a Hong Kong-based company founded by Richard and Peter Yanofsky 1279-1285). New York, 9-13 July 2002. Morgan Kaufmann. Awarded "Best Paper in Evolutionary Robotics" at GECCO 2002.
  7. ^ FLYING HIGH: Bird Man. Scientific American Frontiers Archive. Retrieved on 2007-10-26. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 740 - An Earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death
  8. ^ http://www.starwars.com/databank/vehicle/gnasp/

Further reading

External links

The term micro air vehicle ( MAV) or micro aerial vehicle refers to a new type of remotely controlled Aircraft ( UAV) that is significantly smaller than similar

Dictionary

ornithopter

-noun

  1. a machine that generates lift through the flapping of its wings.
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