Smart Seagull Won’t Steal Your Lunch

Seagulls are not generally a fan favorite when it comes to birds, as they can be aggressive when it comes to the pursuit of food -particularly human food. While annoying, they act as a great model for robotics engineers who want to understand how to co-op their wing movement and subsequent flight.

Robotics firm, Festo, recently unveiled their latest creation that does just that. Their SmartBird is a robot that looks and flies like a herring gull. It has a wing span of 6.5 feet and is constructed with incredibly light materials, allowing it to weigh-in at a mere 450 grams.

When it comes to moving like a bird, an active articulated torsional drive unit allows the SmartBird to move its wings up-and-down and even twist them at specific angles. This unit also allows the robot to maintain a high level of efficiency during flight operation. All of the movements are monitored and controlled by two-way radio communications using ZigBee Protocol.

Bloggers are saying that the SmartBird offers potential uses in designing "stroke wing generators" and for spying.

What other uses do you see for the SmartBird?

Sources: Festo, New Scientist