Markus Fischer & his team, from a company called Festo , have developed an ultralight robotic model which is able to fly like a real bird, by means of flapping its wings. Named SmartBird, its design is inspired by a Herring Gul. 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, but just a bit bigger. Its wingspan is almost two meters, while its carbon-fiber structure weighs only 450 grams.
After seeing this video, I was very much impressed & really wanted to stand up in applause.
