BATS MAY HELP DRONES FLY BETTER

摘要

Long-eared bats are assisted in flight by their ears and body. A study at Lund University in Sweden has improved understanding of the bats' flying technique and could be significant for the future development of drones. The experiments were conducted in a wind tunnel in which trained bats flew through thin smoke to reach a stick with food on it. Meanwhile the researchers aimed a laser beam at the smoke behind the bats and took pictures of the illuminated smoke particles. The researchers measured how the smoke moved to calculate the forces generated by each beat of the bats' wings.