June 06, 2013 04:24pm ETRobo Raven Fools Hawks Robotic Bird A hawk attacks the Robo Raven, a remarkably lifelike robotic bird. Credit: YouTube screen grab from Maryland Robotics Center View full size image

Hawks and other birds of prey are famous for their keen eyesight.

But researchers have created a robotic bird so lifelike that it's even fooled hawks, which swoop down and attack it the way they would any other pigeonlike bird.

Developed at the Maryland Robotics Center, the robot — dubbed Robo Raven — is made of carbon fiber; 3D-printed, lightweight, thermal-resistant plastic; foam; and silvery Mylar foil (for its wings and tail), Military.com reports. [Image Gallery: Remarkable Bionic Animals]

Robo Raven is almost 2 feet long (60 cm) and weighs less than a can of soda. Its original design was developed in 2007 by University of Maryland professors S. K. Gupta and Hugh Bruck, who carried the battery-powered bird through several evolutions before arriving at the current model.

The long lead time was necessary because, during the trial-and-error process needed to improve the robotic bird, any error would lead to a crash. This would sometimes destroy the robot, so each step in the design process was painstakingly slow.

What makes the current model so realistic is its ability to move each wing independently of the other, just as real birds do. This enables the Robo Raven to swoop, soar, dive and flap its wings in a much more aerobatic way than older models, whose wings could only move simultaneously.

"Our new robot, Robo Raven, is based on a fundamentally new design concept," Gupta said in a news release. "It uses two programmable motors that can be synchronized electronically to coordinate motion between the wings."

Some of the design improvements to the Robo Raven were inspired by designs found in nature. For example, the robot uses a hollow framework to provide a stiff, lightweight structure; real birds use a hollow skeletal system for the same task.

The robot is guided by a handheld radio that controls its flight. Some of the funding for the Robo Raven was provided by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, which is investigating the Robo Raven’s possible uses for surveillance and other missions.

The Robo Raven "attracts attention from birds in the area," John Gerdes, an engineer at the Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, told Military.com.

Whereas seagulls and other birds try to fly in formation with the Robo Raven, raptors like hawks have tried to attack the bird as quarry.

"Generally, we don't see them coming," Gerdes said. "They will dive and attack by hitting the bird from above with their talons; then, they typically fly away."

Follow Marc Lallanilla on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.

Robo Raven成功骗过老鹰

Robo愚人节乌鸦老鹰机器人Bird 一只老鹰攻击机器人乌鸦，是一个非常逼真的机器人鸟。图片来源：YouTube的屏幕抓取马里兰机器人中心查看原图

老鹰和猛禽等鸟类是著名的敏锐的眼力.

但是，研究人员已经创造了一个机器人鸟如此逼真，它甚至上当鹰派，它俯冲下来，并攻击它他们的方式对待其他pigeonlike鸟.

开发在马里兰州机器人中心，机器人＆mdash;被称为机器人乌鸦＆mdash;是由碳纤维制成; 3D打印，重量轻，耐热的塑料;泡沫;和银色麦拉铝箔（它的翅膀和尾巴），Military.com报告。 [图片廊：卓越的仿生动物Image Gallery: Remarkable Bionic Animals其最初的设计是由美国马里兰大学教授SK Gupta和休·布鲁克，谁通过几次变阵到达当前模型之前携带的电池供电的鸟于2007年制定.

长的准备时间是必要的，因为，在中试以改善机器鸟需要-error过程中，任何错误会导致系统崩溃。这有时会破坏机器人，所以在设计过程中的每个步骤是极为缓慢.

是什么让当前的模型如此现实是它能够独立地移动的其他的每个机翼，就像真正的鸟事的能力。这使得机器人乌鸦趁虚而入，一飞冲天，下潜和扇动它的翅膀比老款车型，它的翅膀只能同时移动.

u0026 QUOT更加特技飞行的方式;我们的新机器人，机器人乌鸦，是基于一种全新的设计理念，与QUOT;古普塔在新闻发布会上说。 ＆QUOT;它使用能被电同步以协调翼之间运动两个可编程马达＆QUOT;

某些设计改进的机器人乌鸦是由天然存在的设计灵感。例如，机器人使用的中空框架，以提供一个刚性轻质结构;真正的鸟类使用的中空骨骼系统完成同样的任务.

通过控制其飞行手持无线电制导的机器人。有的为机器人乌鸦的资金是由美国陆军研究实验室，正在调查该机器人乌鸦＆rsquo的规定; S可能的用途监控等任务.

的机器人乌鸦＆QUOT;吸引注意力从鸟类在该地区，与QUOT;约翰·杰兹，一名工程师在军队大局;阿伯丁在马里兰试验场，告诉Military.com .

而海鸥等鸟类尝试在形成与机器人乌鸦飞，像老鹰猛龙队试图攻击鸟的采石场。

＆QUOT;一般情况下，我们看不到它们的到来，＆QUOT;杰兹说。 ＆QUOT;他们会潜水，并攻击从上面与他们的爪子打小鸟;然后，他们通常飞走＆QUOT;