An aerial robot inspired by a fast-flying hawk soared, turned and wheeled over a Swiss field last year, during tests to discover the capabilities of its new shape-changing design.
Researchers say it could lead to drones that can fly for much longer than conventional “quadcopters” can and land in short distances — perhaps even on perches — by mimicking the behavior of birds.
Conventional aircraft wings are built to generate lift at an optimum speed, but they are much less useful at slower and higher speeds, said project leader Enrico Ajanic of the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland. Some aircraft get around this by extending large flaps from the wings at low speed, such as during landings.
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