A drone that moves like a bird flies for more than an hour and a half

Oct. 24 () –

Researchers at Beihang University (China) have developed an ornithopter or drone-bird that has flown continuously for one hour 31 minutes and 4.98 seconds, a new Guinness record.

Ornithopters have potential applications in many fields, such as exploring other planets, scaring away birds at airports, and studying aircraft in near space. Previous ornithopter flight durations around the world were short, most of which could last around half an hour, which lagged significantly behind other conventional aircraft types, informs the aforementioned university in a statement.

To set the record for this type of flight, Guinness conducted extensive research on existing unmanned ornithopters and ultimately determined that if an ornithopter can fly for 1 hour, it will have an absolute advantage in flight duration and will have best prospects for practical application.

The mechanism of the ornithopter is complicated, it requires demanding mechanical systems and it is difficult for an artificial flapping wing to achieve flight. In the early 19th century, George Cayley invented the prototype fixed-wing aircraft.

After the Wright brothers successfully completed the first powered manned flight, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft became the main air transportation platform, and the exploration of flapping wing flight has been dormant for a long time. In the last 100 years, aviation technology has developed rapidly. Researchers have gradually discovered that even the most advanced aircraft are far from birds, insects, and other flying creatures in many ways. Therefore, finning research has become a hot topic again in recent years.

During previous flight tests in 2021, this record breaking ornithopter lasted just 53 minutes. After optimizing his power system and wing dynamics, his performance skyrocketed, reaching the best possible conditions to achieve the world record on July 21, 2022.