One Flew Over the Bionic Flying Fox’s Nest

Product desription: ARTICLE

2750 words. 22 pages. Includes many images sketches and diagrams.

The article starts with exploring the scientific work done by FESTO – engineering independent flying things – using cutting edge technology. At the same time, I explore many different things related to these modern inventions and innovations—for example, quantum computers, Bluetooth, microprocessors, aerodynamics, and more. Also, wait for the philosophical note included in the overview. If you fine-tune your hearing, you will hear the grand electronic organ playing in the background – filling in the ‘bigger picture,’ so to speak. I start with a popular book on writing by Roy Peter Clark.

The prompt for flying more than once over Festo’s Bionic Flying Fox and Smartbird’s nest:

I have been listening to a book on writing by the well-known author Roy Peter Clark – Murder you Darlings – on the Audible app. He refers to many other authors who have written books on writing. In fact, it ranges from Aristotle to William Zinsser. Excellent book on developing your writing skills. Well done, Mister Clark. Another compliment, sir – your book ‘Writing Tools’ is one of my favourites and sits proudly on my shelf close to where I can reach it.

At the same time, I have discovered the brilliant work by Festo on flying and creeping things – referring to the images and videos in this article. Festo’s implementation of technology is absolutely stunning. See links to their work in the articles: Smartbird, Bionic Flying Fox, AquaJelly, BionicWheelBot, AirRay, and more. Robots powered by lithium batteries, plastic gears, microprocessors, small electrical motors, receivers, transmitters, arms, rods, axles, and more lightweight parts and components are revealed. See the specifications sheet of the Smartbird in this article by Festo.

To reflect on Leonardo Da Vinci’s pioneering design work, one of his sketches is Flying Machine 1452-1519. This will place the primitive design of Da Vinci in contrast with the modern design techniques for flying things by Festo and then, ultimately comparing it to the design work of Jehovah (another flight). It is a beautiful comparison that provides just so much scientific and design insight.

Here is one of Leonardo’s earlier sketches for a flying machine.

Leonardo da Vinci: Diagram of a proposed flying machine (1789).

Title: Disegni di Leonardo da Vinci

Creator: Leonardo, da Vinci, 1452-1519

Contributor: Prints by Carlo Giuseppe Gerli

Date: 1789

Published: Trieste: La Roccia, 1974 (Reprint of the 1784 edition)

Identifier: FT-21 Tavola XL c

Format: Book

Rights: Public domain

Courtesy: Toronto Public Library.

SKETCHES BY THE AUTHOR:

Waxflatter Ornithopter (fictional flying machine – Sherlock Holmes Movie). Convinced that mankind would conquer the skies, Waxflatter built himself a human-powered flying machine, which he proceeded to test on six occasions before his murder in 1870. After investigating Waxflatter’s death, Brompton students Sherlock Holmes and John Watson used the Ornithopter in an attempt to rescue Waxflatter’s niece, Elizabeth Hardy, from the clutches of the Ramatep, a fanatical group of religious followers of Osiris, the Egyptian god of the dead, who were seeking revenge for Waxflatter’s involvement in the destruction of an Egyptian village many years earlier. Although the flight was successful, due to it lasting longer than all of Waxflatter’s previous attempts combined, the Ornithopter was destroyed on landing when it fell through the ice covering the Thames. Credit: William Van Zyl (author’s sketchbook). Details:https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-the-waxflatter-ornithopter-by-elstree-film-studios-5708435/?from=salesummary&pos=72&intObjectID=5708435&sid=5f7f5be1-3d76-4db1-a20d-90a62808a30c

From the author’s sketchbook. Design and kinematic analysis of seagull inspired flapping-wing robot. Powered by an electric motor. William Van Zyl

Published in 2016 IEEE International Conference on Information and Automation (ICIA) 2016

Credit – inspiration for the freehand sketch: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Design-and-kinematic-analysis-of-seagull-inspired-Jiang-Zhou/0b208d8161675da13d0d9956bdc2d16cfc30db9e/figure/3