Ornithopters – robotic vehicles that fly by flapping their wings like birds and insects – push the limits of human ingenuity and our understanding of the mechanics of flight. A new device built at New York University breaks the mold by mimicking another kind of creature altogether: the jellyfish. The robot’s pulsing motion is remarkably stable when hovering and able to recover easily from disturbances.
Original research article published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface on January 15, 2014.
Name and affiliations of selected authors:
Leif Ristroph, New York University
