What Modern Toy Company Has Created a Functional Bird-Inspired Flying Machine?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the modern toy company WowWee's creation of a functional ornithopter inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's early concepts of mechanical flight. Participants explore the historical context of da Vinci's designs, the evolution of flight technology, and the implications of modern interpretations of his work.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants highlight that Leonardo da Vinci's vision of flight did not include modern propulsion methods like propellers or jet engines, focusing instead on bird-like flapping mechanisms.
  • Others express admiration for the modern toy, noting the connection between da Vinci's inventions and contemporary technology.
  • A participant questions the implication that da Vinci lacked creativity due to his failure to invent propellers, suggesting that this view undermines his contributions to the field of flight.
  • There is a mention of boomerangs as an example of wing-like structures, suggesting that other cultures had developed flight-related technologies independently of da Vinci.
  • Some participants share links to images of da Vinci's designs, discussing their relevance to the conversation about flight mechanics.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the significance of da Vinci's contributions to the concept of flight, but there is disagreement regarding the interpretation of his innovations and the implications of modern advancements in flight technology.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions about the technical understanding required to develop propellers and the historical context of flight inventions across different cultures.

Evo
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LEONARDO DA VINCI’S 15th-century vision of mechanical flight apparently never included fixed wings assisted by propellers or jet engines. His chief inspiration was birds, reflected in drawings of a flying machine fashioned to stay aloft by flapping its wings.

More than 500 years later, WowWee, a robotics and entertainment products company, shares that vision. Next month, it plans to release a mass-produced, functional ornithopter, a device that flies in birdlike fashion — in this case, a radio-controlled toy that mechanically flaps its Mylar wings."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/08/t...em&ex=1171170000&en=07ceee3fb88de8df&ei=5087
 
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Evo said:
LEONARDO DA VINCI’S 15th-century vision of mechanical flight apparently never included fixed wings assisted by propellers or jet engines.

:smile: I love that sentence. Leonardo was very clever but apparently his intelligence never went as far as inventing the propeller or jet engine.

Nice toy :smile:. Good to see some of his inventions being used for real.
 
Kurdt said:
:smile: I love that sentence. Leonardo was very clever but apparently his intelligence never went as far as inventing the propeller or jet engine.
His bird inspired flying machines aren't the only story. Almost a propeller:

http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/Leo-copter.jpg
 
The real deal
 
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zoobyshoe said:
Almost a propeller:

http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/Leo-copter.jpg

Not really. In order to build a propeller [barring blind luck] one must understand the physics of a wing.

It is interesting to note that boomerangs are a wing. In a sense, the Australian Aborigines were one up on Leonardo and the Wright Brothers.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
The real deal


Interesting but not particularly graceful. :eek:

zoobyshoe said:
His bird inspired flying machines aren't the only story. Almost a propeller:

http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/Leo-copter.jpg

I think that was based more on the archimedes screw than a propeller as Ivan said. I meant only to comment sarcastically on the modern age than to insult Leonardo's intelligence, as the aforementioned sentence seems to imply his lack of insight into propellers and jet engines as a lack of creativity. Its kind of like saying yeah well Newton was good but that Albert really showed him up. Just find it funny :smile:
 
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