ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Markus Fischer - Designer
Markus Fischer led the team at Festo that developed the first ultralight artificial bird capable of flying like a real bird.

Why you should listen

One of the oldest dreams of mankind is to fly like a bird. Many, from Leonardo da Vinci to contemporary research teams, tried to crack the "code" for the flight of birds, unsuccessfully. Until in 2011 the engineers of the Bionic Learning Network established by Festo, a German technology company, developed a flight model of an artificial bird that's capable of taking off and rising in the air by means of its flapping wings alone. It's called SmartBird. Markus Fischer is Festo's head of corporate design, where he's responsible for a wide array of initiatives. He established the Bionic Learning Network in 2006.

SmartBird is inspired by the herring gull. The wings not only beat up and down but twist like those of a real bird -- and seeing it fly leaves no doubt: it's a perfect technical imitation of the natural model, just bigger. (Even birds think so.) Its wingspan is almost two meters, while its carbon-fiber structure weighs only 450 grams.

Fischer says: "We learned from the birds how to move the wings, but also the need to be very energy efficient."

More profile about the speaker
Markus Fischer | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2011

Markus Fischer: A robot that flies like a bird

En robot, der flyver som en fugl

Filmed:
8,646,669 views

Der er masser af robotter, der kan flyve - men ingen, der kan flyve som en rigtig fugl. Sådan var det indtil Markus Fischer og hans hold på Festo byggede SmartBird, en stor letvægtsrobot, modelleret efter en havmåge, som flyver ved at baske med vingerne. En højtflyvende demonstration fra TEDGlobal 2011.
- Designer
Markus Fischer led the team at Festo that developed the first ultralight artificial bird capable of flying like a real bird. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

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It is a dreamdrøm of mankindmenneskeheden
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Det er en menneskehedens drøm
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to flyflyve like a birdfugl.
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at flyve som en fugl.
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BirdsFugle are very agileAgile.
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Fugle er meget smidige.
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They flyflyve, not with rotatingroterende componentskomponenter,
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De flyver, ikke med roterende komponenter,
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so they flyflyve only by flappingflagrende theirderes wingsvinger.
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så de flyver blot ved at baske med vingerne.
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So we lookedkigget at the birdsfugle,
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Så vi kiggede på fuglene,
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and we triedforsøgt to make a modelmodel
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og vi prøvede at lave en model
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that is powerfulkraftfuld, ultralightUltralet,
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som er stærk og ultralet,
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and it mustskal have excellentfremragende aerodynamicaerodynamisk qualitieskvaliteter
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og som må have virkeligt gode aerodynamiske kvaliteter
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that would flyflyve by its ownegen
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som kunne flyve af sig selv
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and only by flappingflagrende its wingsvinger.
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kun ved at baske med vingerne.
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So what would be better [than] to use
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Så hvad ville være bedre [end] at bruge
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the HerringSild GullMåge, in its freedomfrihed,
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sølvmågen i sin frihed.
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circlingcirkling and swoopingswooping over the seahav,
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cirklende og svævende over havet,
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and [to] use this as a rolerolle modelmodel?
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og [at] bruge den som en rollemodel?
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So we bringtage med a teamhold togethersammen.
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Så vi samler et hold.
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There are generalistsgeneralister and alsoogså specialistsspecialister
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Der er generalister og også specialister
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in the fieldMark of aerodynamicsaerodynamik
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i feltet aerodynamik
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in the fieldMark of buildingbygning gliderssvævefly.
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i feltet at bygge svævefly.
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And the taskopgave was to buildbygge
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Og opgaven var at bygge
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an ultralightUltralet indoor-flyingindendørs-flyvende modelmodel
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en ultralet indendørs flyvende model
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that is ablei stand to flyflyve over your headshoveder.
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som er i stand til at flyve over jeres hoveder.
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So be carefulforsigtig latersenere on.
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Så vær på vagt senere.
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And this was one issueproblem:
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Og der var det ene problem:
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to buildbygge it that lightweightletvægt
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at bygge det så let
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that no one would be hurtgøre ondt
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at ingen ville komme til skade
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if it fellfaldt down.
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hvis den faldt ned
01:28
So why do we do all this?
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Så hvorfor gør vi alt dette?
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We are a companySelskab in the fieldMark of automationAutomation,
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Vi er et firma, som arbejder med automatisering,
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and we'dvi ville like to do very lightweightletvægt structuresstrukturer
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og vi vil gerne lave meget lette letvægtsstrukturer
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because that's energyenergi efficienteffektiv,
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fordi det er energieffektivt.
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and we'dvi ville like to learnlære more about
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Og vi vil gerne lære mere om
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pneumaticspneumatik and airluft flowflyde phenomenafænomener.
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pneumatik og og luftstrømsfænomener.
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So I now would like you
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Så nu vil jeg gerne bede jer om
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to [put] your seatsæde beltsbælter on
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at [spænde] jeres sikkerhedsseler
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and put your hatshatte [on].
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og tage jeres hjelme [på]
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So maybe we'llgodt try it onceenkelt gang --
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Så måske vi vil prøve en enkelt gang
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to flyflyve a SmartBirdSmartBird.
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at flyve en SmartBird [SmartFugl]
01:56
Thank you.
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Tak.
01:58
(ApplauseBifald)
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(Bifald)
02:14
(ApplauseBifald)
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(ApplauseBifald)
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03:07
So we can now
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Så nu kan vi
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look at the SmartBirdSmartBird.
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kigge på vores SmartBird.
03:12
So here is one withoutuden a skinhud.
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Så her er en uden hud.
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We have a wingspanvingefang of about two metersmeter.
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Vi har et vingespænd på cirka to meter.
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The lengthlængde is one metermåler and sixseks,
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Længden er en meter og seks,
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and the weightvægt,
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og vægten,
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it is only 450 gramsgram.
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den er kun 450 gram.
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And it is all out of carbonkulstof fiberfiber.
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Og det er alt sammen lavet af kulfiber.
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In the middlemidten we have a motormotor,
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I midten har vi en motor,
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and we alsoogså have a geargear in it,
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og vi har også et gear i den.
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and we use the geargear
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Og vi bruger gearet
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to transferoverførsel the circulationcirkulation of the motormotor.
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til at overføre motorens cirkulation.
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So withininden for the motormotor, we have threetre HallHall sensorssensorer,
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Inden i motoren har vi tre Hall-sensorer,
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so we know exactlyNemlig where
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Så vi ved præcis hvor
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the wingvinge is.
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vingen er.
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And if we now beatslå up and down ...
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Og hvis vi basker op og ned...
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we have the possibilitymulighed
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så har vi muligheden
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to flyflyve like a birdfugl.
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for at flyve som en fugl.
04:00
So if you go down, you have the largestor areaareal of propulsionfremdrift,
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Så hvis du går ned, så har du et stort område med fremdrift.
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and if you go up,
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Og hvis du går op,
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the wingsvinger are not that largestor,
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vingerne er ikke så store,
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and it is easiernemmere to get up.
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og det er nemmere at få dem op.
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So, the nextNæste thing we did,
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Så, det næste vi gjorde,
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or the challengesudfordringer we did,
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eller de udfordringer vi løste
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was to coordinatekoordinere this movementbevægelse.
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var ar koordinere denne bevægelse.
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We have to turntur it, go up and go down.
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Vi var nødt til at vende den, gå op og gå ned.
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We have a splitdele wingvinge.
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Vi har en delt vinge.
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With a splitdele wingvinge
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Med en delt vinge
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we get the liftløfte op at the upperøverst wingvinge,
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får vi løftet fra den øvre vinge
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and we get the propulsionfremdrift at the lowernederste wingvinge.
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og vi får fremdriften fra den nedre vinge.
04:35
AlsoOgså, we see
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Også, vi ser
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how we measuremåle the aerodynamicaerodynamisk efficiencyeffektivitet.
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hvordan vi måler den aerodynamiske effektivitet.
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We had knowledgeviden about
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Vi havde viden om
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the electromechanicalelektromekaniske efficiencyeffektivitet
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den elektromagnetiske effektivitet
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and then we can calculateBeregn
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og så kan vi beregne
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the aerodynamicaerodynamisk efficiencyeffektivitet.
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den aerodynamiske effektivitet.
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So thereforederfor,
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Så derfor,
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it risesstiger up from passivepassiv torsiontorsion to activeaktiv torsiontorsion,
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den stiger fra passivt vrid til aktivt vrid,
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from 30 percentprocent
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fra 30 procent
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up to 80 percentprocent.
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op til 80 procent.
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NextNæste thing we have to do,
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Det næste vi havde brug for var
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we have to controlkontrollere and regulateregulere
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at have kontrol og regulere
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the wholehel structurestruktur.
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den samlede struktur.
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Only if you controlkontrollere and regulateregulere it,
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Kun hvis du kontrollerer og regulerer den,
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you will get that aerodynamicaerodynamisk efficiencyeffektivitet.
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vil du få den aerodynamiske effektivitet.
05:09
So the overallsamlet set consumptionforbrug of energyenergi
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Så det samlede energiforbrug
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is about 25 wattswatt at takeoffTakeoff
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er omkring 25 watt når den letter
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and 16 to 18 wattswatt in flightflyvningen.
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og 16 til ½8 watt under flyvning.
05:18
Thank you.
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Tak.
05:20
(ApplauseBifald)
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(Bifald)
05:26
BrunoBruno GiussaniGiussani: MarkusMarkus, I think that we should flyflyve it onceenkelt gang more.
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Bruno Giussani: Markus, jeg tror vi skal prøve at flyve den igen.
05:29
MarkusMarkus FischerFischer: Yeah, sure.
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Markus Fischer: ja, selvfølgelig.
05:31
(LaughterLatter)
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(Latter)
05:53
(GaspsGisp)
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(Gisp)
06:02
(CheersHej)
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(Hurraråb)
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(ApplauseBifald)
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(Bifald)

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Markus Fischer - Designer
Markus Fischer led the team at Festo that developed the first ultralight artificial bird capable of flying like a real bird.

Why you should listen

One of the oldest dreams of mankind is to fly like a bird. Many, from Leonardo da Vinci to contemporary research teams, tried to crack the "code" for the flight of birds, unsuccessfully. Until in 2011 the engineers of the Bionic Learning Network established by Festo, a German technology company, developed a flight model of an artificial bird that's capable of taking off and rising in the air by means of its flapping wings alone. It's called SmartBird. Markus Fischer is Festo's head of corporate design, where he's responsible for a wide array of initiatives. He established the Bionic Learning Network in 2006.

SmartBird is inspired by the herring gull. The wings not only beat up and down but twist like those of a real bird -- and seeing it fly leaves no doubt: it's a perfect technical imitation of the natural model, just bigger. (Even birds think so.) Its wingspan is almost two meters, while its carbon-fiber structure weighs only 450 grams.

Fischer says: "We learned from the birds how to move the wings, but also the need to be very energy efficient."

More profile about the speaker
Markus Fischer | Speaker | TED.com

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