Bats save energy by drawing in wings on upstroke
Wednesday, April 11, 2012 - 08:30
in Physics & Chemistry
Bat wings are like hands: meaty, bony and full of joints. A new study finds that bats take advantage of their flexibility by folding in their wings on the upstroke to save inertial energy. The research suggests that engineers looking at flapping flight should account for wing mass and consider a folding design.