Eagle Inspired Engineering

The Bio-Inspired Flight Lab led by Dr Shane Windsor provides research into the aerodynamic, sensing and control aspects of animal flight, and investigates how this can be utilised to improve engineering technologies, particularly with regards to small scale unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). After being invited to take part in the Royal Society Summer Exhibition 2021, the lab sought the assistance of the Research IT team in developing a project to present as part of the entirely online exhibition.

We worked with Dr Shane Windsor and his colleaguesalongside designer Tom Waterhouse to develop a web game exploring how gliding birds react to gusts of wind and what applications this can have to aircraft design. Players are tasked with changing three different parameters relating to an owl's wings to allow it to glide to a safe landing. After completing this, the player must then apply the same principles to an aircraft, examining how the biomechanics of the owl’s wings are beneficial in accurately gliding through the air.