A bird banking in a crosswind doesn't rely on spinning blades. Its wings flex, twist and respond instantly to its environment. Engineers at Rutgers University have taken a major step toward building ...

In this computer-generated flight sequence, the ornithopter’s wings beat without any gears or motors—powered instead by thin piezoelectric actuators that flex the entire structure. A bird banking in a ...

Engineers are taking inspiration from birds to design a new kind of flying robot that could be more flexible, safer, and better suited to complex environments than today’s drones. Instead of relying ...