This video demonstrates a new robotic bird, “Robo Raven,” whose wings flap completely independently of each other, and also can be programmed to perform any desired motion, enabling the bird to perform aerobatic manoeuvres.
This is the first time a robotic bird with these capabilities has been built and successfully flown. ‘Robo Raven’, developed by University of Maryland Professors S. K. Gupta and Hugh Bruck and their students uses two programmable motors that can be synchronized electronically to coordinate motion between the wings.
‘Robo Raven’ can now be programmed to any desired motion patterns for the wings which allows new in-flight aerobatics—like diving and rolling—that would have not been possible before, bringing the ‘Robo Raven’ team a big step closer to faithfully reproducing the way real birds fly.
Source: Maryland Robotics Center