Nowadays, we take flight for granted. But, of course, we can never built something that flies like a bird. Or can we? If there’s one “talent” humanity has in abundance, it’s perseverance and it seems somebody has cracked it.

Two years ago, Hiroaki Hashimoto from Japan build a machine that can flap, glide and turn like a bird. It’s so good, in fact, that during one of its test flights, the robot attracted the attention of some eagles who wanted to hunt and kill it. The machine looks somewhat like an oversized pidgin and weighs in at 166 grams… With a wingspan of 1,430 mm – about 56 inches – it’s never going to be part of the flock, but the bird-like movements are incredibly life-like…

A company called Festo Robots built a complicated seagull-like machine a few years ago, but it had a huge budget. This is what a man built in his garage and for that, we tip our hat to mister Hiroaki Hashimoto.

The concepts behind ornithopters is as old as Leonardo DaVinci. Balsa-wood toy versions have been around – and occasionally popular – for decades. Trying to produce anything capable of flying longer than a rubber band wind-up toy never got very far because of the weight restrictions of strictly mechanical devices.

Solid state and computerized controls resolve pretty much all those problems. It just takes an inventive and curious mind to revisit old questions and solutions.

Thanks, Honeyman