Hummingbirds are unparalleled aerial acrobats, capable of quickly moving forward, backward, hovering indefinitely, and performing complex maneuvers. Their abilities have inspired robot designers focusing on drone technology.
Bret Tobalske, director of the Flight Lab, notes that hummingbirds' extreme physiology and flight performance make them model creatures for developing biomimetic flying robots for modern warfare.
The effort to create robotic hummingbirds is funded largely by U.S. defense dollars, aiming to replicate the remarkable flying skills of these birds for military applications.
Dr. Tobalske emphasizes that while robotic hummingbirds are in development, real hummingbirds currently outperform both robotic counterparts and other birds in aerial maneuvers.
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