Finding secrets of bats' flight could change military aircraft
Kenny Breuer, Professor of Engineering, leads team to discover more about bat flight.
Article excerpts:
“A team of engineers and biologists at Brown University has discovered that bats, the mysterious nocturnal mammals that are guided by sound and helped inspire Dracula and Batman, may hold the secret to more efficient flying machines.
The Air Force has taken notice of Brown's work. It will invest $6 million in the project over the next 5 years, in the hope of using the research to design future military aircraft…”
“The Air Force funding will allow Brown researchers to use specially designed wind tunnels, high-tech cameras, special models, and real bats to explain why the haunting creatures that have inspired imaginations for centuries have such unique flying abilities.
Using a fine mist of aerosol particles, along with laser imaging equipment, to track the airflow over the bat wings, researchers have made some striking findings.
For one, bats are physically different from other animals that fly; their thin, membrane-like wings are complex appendages with joints similar to a human elbow and wrist. During flight, they have precise control over the shape of the wing, making them much more maneuverable than birds or insect wings.
This is especially true in caves and forests -- difficult, obstacle-filled environments in which conventional flying machines normally cannot operate.
"Helicopters can do that but they are problematic, with all kinds of control problems that make them difficult to use and design," said Kenneth Breuer, the project leader.”
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