Very cool, although I don't think we really need anything else to spy on us at the moment.

This is the first time I have seen a flapping wing vehicle perform that well - I wonder how power requirements for something like this vs fixed wing with prop vehicles compare.

It's much more power efficient at low Reynolds numbers. At higher Reynolds, a fixed wing is more efficient.

We see this optimization with birds. Larger birds like albatrosses flap much less than hummingbirds.

I see, so this makes more sense for a smaller vehicle, but for human sized transportation its much better to have a fixed wing. Thanks!

Oddly familiar...

http://files.myopera.com/illithid2003/albums/4327322/encore1...