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bats

Bat Bot the aerobatic robot

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I have an ongoing fascination with bats, bat wings and bat flight and so was delighted to come across this bat-based aerobatic robot. It’s known as Bat Bot (B2) and has been developed at the University of Illinois by postdoctural researcher Alireza Ramezani who describes it as being able to “dance in the air with great composure”.

A real bat wing is incredibly complex and contains over forty joints. This allows the morphology of the surface to change rapidly and significantly and enables a real bat to be agile and nimble in the air. Its younger sibling Bat Bot (B2) has a little catching up to do.

Brilliant bat wings

Having started thinking about the BMW GINA car the photo of it with its door open started me thinking about bat wings and flight.

There are several brilliant things about bat wings and flight. When a bat is flying it folds its wing on the upstroke which can generate up to 50% more lift. Also, the skin of its wing can stretch by 400% without breaking.

Website link: Brown University robotic bat wing

BMW Gina

A fabric-covered car

The BMW GINA concept car was made a few years ago but I started thinking about it the other day. It’s such a different way of thinking of a car. I like the idea of questioning the obvious: in this case, the assumption that safety comes from a big hard shell.

Website link: BMW GINA concept car video