Build Your Own Ornithopter

[ordos45]

No mention of Dune that I could find on the site, but it does give a good overview of the basic ideas behind them, and how to build your own.

http://www.ornithopter.org/index.shtml

[SpiceGuid]

fascinating :D

[Egeides]

"What bird has done yesterday, man may do next year, be it fly, be it moult, be it hatch, be it agreement in the nest."

[Tako]

that is sureal!

very good, wonder if they'll be put in commercial use?

[Dante]

"We've flown as birds do, and next we'll do it better than birds."

Oh I doubt that. First there'll need to be a substance that is very strong but also light to take the place of hollow bone. Then there will need to be the ability to turn in any direction, including downwards, in a split second. There will need to be combined abilities to soar, glide, stoop, hover, but not all at the same time. Birds can take off from a standing start and be airborne in a matter of seconds; and of course birds' wings don't flap up-down-up-down-up-down, they rotate and adjust. Now I don't doubt the ability of man to fly, nor the achievements of the ornithopters, but claiming to fly better than birds is just silly talk.