The miracle of birds in flight is something science is just beginning to understand. “Birds are masters of maneuverability,” Stanford University post-doc Dan Quinn says in the video above. Though methods to image and track birds in flight have improved, the wind tunnels often used to study them in depth were in need of an update.
So Stanford built a new, highly advanced bird wind tunnel where researchers can get up close to avians as they fly. The tunnel—which is, essentially, a “tricked-out treadmill for birds”—affords scientists exceptional speed control over the low-turbulence wind used in tests. This allows them a contained and intimate view of the truly innovative things birds do in flight, like changing the shape of their wings in an instant. Of course, they’re also using high-speed cameras and motion-tracking devices to document the tests and capture the subtler nuances of how birds move.
The birds’ flight in the wind tunnel is also positively reinforced with treats, rather than compelled with other means, which helps guarantee their motions are as relaxed and as natural as possible. In the future, researchers are especially intrigued by the idea that they could borrow some of birds’ tricks to make better-flying drones and robots.
