The company's device weights 450 grams and has a wingspan of 1.96 meters. Engineers at Festo decided to name their creation SmartBird. The robotic bird works autonomously, being able to take off, fly and land by itself.
Festo's representatives mentioned that in the creation of the robot they managed to work out the flight of birds. It would be interesting to note that the wings of the SmartBird not only beat up and down, but can also twist at certain angles along their length. Such feature was borrowed from real birds
It is worth mentioning that the directional control accomplished through the opposing motion of head and torso sections. Two built-in electric motors are used to synchronize the movements of the two. The construction of the robotic bird allows it to show register aerodynamics and maneuverability.
Inside the robot one will also be able to find the battery, engine and transmission, the crank transmission and control and regulation electronics. During the flight it is possible to adjust the wing position and torsion. The two are monitored with the help of a two-way ZigBee protocol radio communication, reports IEEE Spectrum.