{"id":66134,"date":"2020-05-11T14:15:35","date_gmt":"2020-05-11T18:15:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=66134"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:37:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T13:37:22","slug":"hummingbirds-wings-inspire-technology","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/hummingbirds-wings-inspire-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"How the wings of owls and hummingbirds inspire drones, wind turbines and other technology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n How the wings of owls and hummingbirds inspire drones, wind turbines and other technology\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

Is evolution the best inventor? With hundreds of millions of years of work and the natural world as its canvas, it would seem so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the water-retaining camels of the desert to the long-flying albatrosses of the sea, evolution has shaped the abilities of animals to best help them survive and thrive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My graduate research explores some of evolution\u2019s most impressive inventions, many of which can be found in birds. Specifically, I study bird flight behaviours and how relationships between body mass, wing sizes, species relatedness and other biological traits have evolved to generate the extravagant flight we see in many species. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These inventions are so extraordinary that we study them to apply their design in everyday technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take, for example, the swift and precise flight of a hummingbird that has helped us develop flying devices that are also capable of intricate manoeuvre. Or an owl\u2019s stealthy flight, which has informed the design of silent and efficient wind turbines. In both cases, biomimicry draws inspiration from natural inventions to design and improve upon our current technologies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Precise maneuvers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Hummingbirds are some of the tiniest birds in the world. They possess small, lightweight torsos with relatively large wings that allow them to fly remarkably fast with incredible precision. But many types of birds have large wings, so what sets hummingbirds apart when it comes to their amazing manoeuvrability? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The secret lies within their muscles and bones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hummingbirds require large wing muscles to continually flap their wings quickly during flight<\/a>, known as a high wing beat frequency. High wing beat frequency allows hummingbirds to perform their unique hovering flight, especially during their summer visits to your flowers and backyard feeders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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