Drone designers may take a cue from bats and how they fly slowly to improve aerodynamic controls of their technology, says a new study.
Over the past few years, there has been a growing interest in drones and what they can do. While these unmanned aircraft were used heavily for surveillance, today they figure themselves in forward-looking businesses that wish to use them for quick delivery.
But before they can do that, they have to improve their aerodynamic control first to make them more energy efficient. This is where bats come in.
Lund University researchers studied the flight techniques of long-eared bats by making them fly in a wind tunnel, at the end of which is a worm meal. The tunnel was surrounded with smoke while a laser was used behind the bats to measure the force generated by each wing movement.
Based on the data, the researchers learned two crucial things. One, their large ears are actually not a bane but a boon in terms of sustaining their flight.
It's long been believed that echolocation, or the ability to measure distances of objects within a space through the bouncing off of soundwaves, and their ears have allowed the bats to evolve successfully in their 65 million years of existence. They can fly in good height when foraging at night. However, their ears can also be a detriment as they can potentially slow them down. The Swedish study proves otherwise.
"We show how the air behind the body of a long-eared bat accelerates downwards, which means that the body and ears provide lift," said Christoffer Johansson Westheim, senior lecturer for evolutionary biology in the university and one of the study's authors.
This means that the big ears allow the bats to stay aloft while creating a strong resistance.
The second discovery is how these bats propel themselves forward when they fly slowly. It turns out that they generate the needed thrust force by lifting their wings high and away from their body.
"This specific way of generating power could lead to new aerodynamic control mechanisms for drones in the future, inspired by flying animals," Westheim said.
The study is now in Scientific Reports.
Watch an explanation of the study below:
