I begin January with a new design brief that I have set myself for my next ornithopter design; this one is going to build upon the learning from the Carbon Ascender but will incorporate a more powerful flight drive, larger wingspan and heavier wing-loading amongst other differences.
The core feature of folding down into a compact form will be maintained with some expected changes to account for the additional length in wingspan. See below a sneak peak of the sketching and ideation process that I have begun; form and layout will be played about with until I feel it is right and that there is a strong vision to drive the engineering development process. Stand by for more updates!
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Hi there it's James, this is my first post to the Airtomata blog. Here I'll be posting updates, new thoughts and happenings in regards to new designs that I'm working on. As well as new things that I come across that I find interesting and inspiring that are both related to ornithopters and other unrelated areas.
I decided to create Airtomata following the creation of the Carbon Ascender in order to share my work and hopefully inspire others in their interests, just like those that have inspired me in my Inspiration page. The Carbon Ascender isn't the first ornithopter that I have built, my first ornithopter was built sometime in my early teens as a science teacher in my school first coined the term ornithopter to me and the idea of these flapping machines. My first one didn't fly as It weighed too much in addition to a binding mechanism; I had little idea how to design the fully functional mechanisms that were both efficient and light-weight that an ornithopter demands for flight, in addition to constructing the entire wings from a sheet of bonded carbon fibre cloth and a flapping mechanism made from the plastic (polypropylene) cut from a milk carton, some paper clips and some rubber bands for power. It was quite a strange mix of high tech and recycled materials! Alas it did not fly and I parked the notion of making ornithopters for a while whilst I grew up building more traditional radio controlled aircraft and well as developing a growing interest in design, science and art at school. Which eventually led me to become a product design engineer. Thinking back to how I grew up and the interests that I developed, made me realise how finding inspiration and interests when young are important and that those interests can grow into simply providing enjoyment and passion in a hobby and potentially directing a career path as it did for me. So I hope you'll find some inspiration from here and also have a passion for something in your life as I do, so please feel free to comment about your own passions below. |
James HanceFounder of Airtomata, I post updates of my latest designs, finds and thoughts here. ArchivesCategories |