Hey everyone this is Carin for DNews and today we are talking about human attempts to replicate

mother nature. Biomimicry is the term used to describe technologies that we develop to

try to be as awesome as the structures and functions we observe in the animal kingdom.

Things like slug slime and spider silk have been mimicked in many scientific studies;

however, today’s example comes courtesy of the bird world.

Hummingbirds move with awe-inspiring speed. Their tiny wings can flap at such high frequencies

that they are audible to human ears - hence the name hummingbird. The fastest flappers

are flapping up to 200 times per second. Hummingbirds are also masters of the hover - maintaining

their aerial positions with what seems to be very little effort. Scientists have long

been interested in mimicking the flight techniques of hummingbirds, and our most efficient microhelicopters

actually do a pretty respectable job. The Prox Dynamics Black Hornet autonomous microhelicopter

is the most sophisticated available - these tiny drones are about the same size as hummingbirds

and they are currently used in Afghanistan by the English army.

But how efficient are these autonomous helicopter drones? A recent study led by David Lentink

at Stanford university looked into that question. The researchers analyzed the aerodynamic properties

of hummingbird feathers from twelve different species and compared them to the blades of

the black hornets. Specifically mounted cameras allowed the researchers to visualize airflow

around the bird wings and helicopter blades that were spun on an apparatus designed for

this exact purpose. In addition, sensitive load cells were used to measure both lift

force and drag on the feathers at various angles and speeds. In other words - how hard

does a bird have to work in order to achieve lift or to maintain its position in the air?

Do the helicopter blades have to work harder?

Actually, no. The news isn’t terrible, but we’ve clearly got a ways to go. Lentink

and his team found that microhelicopter blades were able to hover with an efficiency that

rivals that of an average hummingbird - which is pretty darn impressive. However, hummingbirds

with top flight wings such as those of the Anna’s hummingbird, common on the west coast

of North America, are able to increase efficiency over the helicopters by a staggering 27%.

The best engineers in the world remain outperformed by the power of evolution!

Overall, this work most definitely represents a significant achievement in the study of

aerodynamics….but there’s more work to be done in order to create technologies that

rival the movement patterns of hummingbirds. I mean, think about it - this was just one

aspect of hummingbird flight - hovering. What about diving, navigating through complex environments

or flying through wind gusts?? Not to mention that hummingbirds actually flap their wings

- this study looked at the movement of spinning. If hummingbirds could actually move by spinning

their wings like a helicopter they would only utilize half as much energy as they currently

do.

When it comes to biomimicry, there are many more secrets to be discovered from hummingbirds

and countless other organisms about amazing ways they carry out their day to day functions.

Which animal do you think we should try to mimic and why? Leave your answers in the comments

below, and subscribe here for more DNews every day of the week. See ya next time!