A joint study by RMIT and the University of Bristol has revealed secrets to the remarkably steady flight of kestrels that could inform future drone design and flight control strategies.
A joint study by RMIT and the University of Bristol has revealed secrets to the remarkably steady flight of kestrels that could inform future drone design and flight control strategies.
Making drones safer and more stable in turbulent conditions, or in cities where wind gusts from tall buildings make flying more difficult, makes applications like parcel delivery, food delivery and environmental monitoring more feasible, more often.
The study conducted in RMIT’s Industrial Wind Tunnel facility – one of the largest of its kind in Australia – is the first to precisely measure the stability of a Nankeen Kestrel’s head during hovering flight, finding movement of less than 5mm during hunting behaviour.
“Typically, aircraft use flap movements for stabilisation to achieve stability during flight,” said RMIT lead researcher Dr Abdulghani Mohamed.
Read more at RMIT University
Image: A Nankeen Kestrel (Credit: RMIT)
