Technabob » wings

Bird Man Flies with Homemade Wings?

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:30:45 +0000

Jarno Smeets is either one bad-ass geek or a bold-faced liar. This dude appears to have created one of my lifelong dreams using kite fabric and engineering prowess. Smeets has built for himself and one pair of flapping wings that apparently allow him to actually fly like a bird. I say “apparently” because I can’t decide if I’m just so shocked to see this actually work that my brain is telling me it’s impossible, or if the video was doctored somehow.

This clip shows Smeets wearing a wing contraption and running through the park flapping and then taking to the sky. Smeets and his pals claim to have created the 40 pound wings and covered them carefully in kite fabric. You can see in the video that Smeets is flapping his arms like a bird. The controls are supposedly a pair of Wii remotes and the wings flap automatically mimicking his motions while holding the Wii controllers.

Smeets says he was inspired by several things including an albatross bird, Leonardo da Vinci sketches, and engineering sketches his grandfather made of a flying bicycle. The man also had help from neuromechanics expert Bert Otten and the wings used some design tips from robotic prosthetics that help those that have lost limbs regain mobility.

All I can say is check out the video and let me know if you think it’s real or fake. Here’s hoping he doesn’t fly too close to the sun. Unless it’s fake. Then let him burn.

[via Wired]

Wings Askew: Why Does This Fly?

Range — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:30:31 +0000

Yep, this was a real plane that was created by NASA and it’s called the AD-1. It’s got these strange oblique wings that are turned 60-degrees across its fuselage. The main question is why was this done and how could it fly?

The AD-1 Oblique Wing Aircraft was made in the mid-1970s because engineers were curious about the aerodynamic quality of such a plane. The main objective was getting better fuel economy since wind tunnel tests at NASA have shown that oblique wings will use half of the fuel of conventional jets at supersonic speeds.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

This particular plane also had poor handling, which explains why it was ultimately abandoned in 1982. Logic dictates that if there is money to be saved, airplane companies may try and replicate this, but ultimately, large jetliners might be too heavy to be able to pull something like this off.

[via DVice]

Wooden Ladybug Speaker Spreads Its Wings

Technabob — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 01:11:27 +0000

At first glance, you wouldn’t think this hat-box shaped container would be a sound system, but it is. The cylindrical wooden box conceals compact stereo speakers perfect for your computer or media player.

Volume and power controls are concealed beneath a set of flaps reminiscent of a ladybug’s wings, but they can be used in the closed position thanks to perforations in the wings. They’ll run on either USB power or on AAA batteries, so you can take your sound wherever you go.

Purveyor of imported Asian curiosities, DealExtreme sells these for about $14.

Radio Controlled Pterodactyl Flaps Wings to Fly

Technabob — Fri, 18 May 2007 18:04:20 +0000

Here’s the ultimate modern stone age gadget. It’s a remote controlled winged lizard that actually gets airborne by flapping its wings.

Instead of using some sort of propeller or engine, this guy just uses good old fashioned wing power. The $69 R/C Flying Pterosaur can fly indoors or out, and has a foam-cushioned body to prevent damage from crashes. Its unique design provides control not only over ascent and descent, but also the ability to steer in flight.

The prehistoric flying creature has a rechargeable battery that should provide about 10 minutes of flight on a 30 minute charge, and the remote works from up to 100 feet away.