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The Revolutionary Taxidermy Drone Project

 
Drone

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Revolutionizing Aviation: Uncovering the Secrets of Bird Flight with Taxidermy Drones

Researchers at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro have devised a unique way to study flight: turning taxidermy birds into drones. The team, led by a mechanical engineering professor, Dr. Mostafa Hassanalian, found that traditional mechanical birds needed to provide the desired results. This led them to consider the use of preserved birds. “We came up with this idea that we can use … dead birds and make them [into] a drone,” said Hassanalian. “Everything is there … we do reverse engineering.”

These taxidermy bird drones are being tested in a specially designed cage at the university. By studying flocks’ formation and flight patterns, researchers hope to understand aviation better. “The taxidermy bird prototype flies for a maximum of 20 minutes, so the next stage is to work out how to make it fly longer and conduct tests in the wild among living birds,” Hassanalian said.

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