Anti-Turbulence System Inspired By Birds

Anti-Turbulence System Inspired By Birds | RMIT University

(Transcript with notations)

Typist note: there is no speaking in this video, just background music

VISUAL: Inspired By Birds. Researchers have developed an innovative system that could spell the end of turbulence on flights. RMITUniversity logo.

VISUAL: Recent studies have shown how birds sense disturbances in air flow through their feathers.

VISUAL: Birds such as kestrels can hover with pinpoint accuracy in various conditions of turbulence.

VISUAL: Video of a kestrel hovering in the sky with wings outstretched looking down at something off?screen. In the background is a wide blue lake and snow?covered mountains. At the top right of the screen are the words: Courtesy of Wild About Images. Across the bottom of the screen are the words: Relying on sensory information provided by their feathers, birds can make small adjustments with their wings and tail.

VISUAL: Same video as before – kestrel is still hovering with wings outstretched making a slight flap of its wings every so often. Across the bottom of the screen are the words: A kestrel can use available wind – turbulent or not – to hover.

VISUAL: Same video as before – kestrel is still hovering with wings outstretched making a slight flap of its wings every so often. Across the bottom of the screen are the words: The bird can maintain a ‘Head Lock’ ensuring its eyes are stationary, even in severe turbulence.

VISUAL: Same video as before – kestrel is still hovering with wing outstretched making a slight flap of its wings every so often. Across the bottom of the screen are the words: But when little or no wind is present, the bird will start flapping its wings to maintain ‘Head Lock’.

VISUAL: Video of a kestrel in a hover with wings slightly flapping, camera is below looking directly up at the bird.

VISUAL: Slow motion video of a kestrel flying to take a small piece of meat from a broken tree branch. Its wings are spread wide and flapping, back tail feathers are all spread out. The bird is looking intently at the piece of meat as its talons land on the meat. The bird has leather straps tied around both of its feet showing it is a trained bird. On the bottom right of the screen are the words: Birds can sense air flow separation, angle of attack and velocity through their feathers.

VISUAL: Same video from before continuing on as the kestrel places it’s talons onto the small piece of meat. The bird pulls its wings up and back (but not down) and is now side on to the camera still focusing on the piece of meat under its talons. On the bottom left of the screen are the words: The sensed signal is used for feedforward/feedback control during aggressive manoeuvres.

VISUAL: A micro plane was equipped with sensors that mimic the job of feathers, allowing it to ‘feel’ the oncoming flow disturbances like a bird.

VISUAL: Wind tunnel flight testing in severe turbulence compared conventional sensing methods with the ‘bio?inspired’ sensing method.

VISUAL: Video of a micro plane flying inside a wind tunnel; the camera is behind the micro plane. The plane is flying at all different altitudes??? and moving around a lot, tipping its wings to bank left and right. At the bottom centre of the screen are the words: Conventional Inertial Based Sensing 8% Turbulence Intensity.

VISUAL: Video of a micro plane flying inside a wind tunnel; the camera is side?on to the micro plane. The plane is flying a lot more steadier than in the last video; still moving up and down but not as erratic. At the bottom centre of the screen are the words: Bio?Inspired Sensing 8% Turbulence Intensity.

VISUAL: The screen is split horizontally into two videos. The heading at the top of the screen is Comparison of Stability Performance. Both videos are of the planes connected at the back tail to a metal tube. On the left of each video screen is an arc. The top video’s arc has measurements starting from the bottom of the arc of: -20°, -10° , 0° , 10°, 20° and the title on the top right is: Conventional inertial-based sensing – this plane’s wing moves more than the one below, the wings are lifting and lowering within the -10° to 10° range on the arc. The bottom video’s arc has measurements starting from the bottom of the arc of: -10°, -5° , 0° , 5°, 10° and the title on the top right is Bio?Inspired sensing – this plane’s wings are lifting and lowering within the -5° to 5° range on the arc.

VISUAL: Video in slow motion as smoke, showing the wind and air circulation, passes from the right of the screen to the left. The model airplane is in the centre of the screen and is side?on to the camera facing the right of the screen ie flying into the wind. The writing at the bottom of the screen reads: Researchers from RMIT’s Unmanned Systems Research Team have lodged a provisional patent for the system.

VISUAL: RMIT UAS Research Team. Researcher: Abdulghani Mohamed. Supervisors: Professor Simon Watkins, Dr Reece Clothier. External Advisor: Dr Mujahid Abdulrahim.

VISUAL: RMITUniversity Logo and website www.rmit.edu.au. This video features the song Is This Real by Lost Harmonies used with permission.

End of video

Copyright statement

Copyright © 2015 RMIT University. All rights reserved.

Conditions of use

This item is available to RMIT University staff for official RMIT educational or promotional purposes. All uses outside of official educational or promotional purposes must be used with permission. Please contact copyright@rmit.edu.au for permission.