On a New Mexico college campus, there’s a large field that many birds fly over. Lately, some of those birds have been dead. Mostafa Hassanalian, an engineering professor at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, is using drone technology to lift dead birds back into the sky. First, he stuffs an electric motor into a taxidermied bird. Then, he tosses it into the air. The bird soars for a few minutes, appearing alive from a distance.
Hassanalian is studying the way the bird drones move in flight in hopes that the findings can improve aviation technology.
“We want to fly them and flap them similar to birds to understand the physics,” Hassanalian said, adding that the lessons might someday have relevance for the aviation industry.
Hassanalian, who began his engineering studies in Iran before moving to New Mexico to pursue a PhD, has always loved watching birds. He was amazed by how they have evolved to master flying and hoped to one day invent drones that could mimic their flight patterns.
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