h a l f b a k e r yQuis custodiet the custard?
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One answer to human powered flapping flight would be using
spiral wingtips on adaptive wings. Gradually tapering spiral
wingtips at the end of a four-winged full-body wing suit would
tap into the stored energy in wing tip vortices to enable
"treading air" with a doggy-paddle-like stroke.
(?) Leg Wings
Leg_20wings
[JesusHChrist, Feb 19 2005]
(?) Pheasant-tail-feather-style-wings
Pheasant-tail-feather-style_20wings
[JesusHChrist, Feb 19 2005]
Spring Wings
Spiral_20Spring_20Wings
[JesusHChrist, Feb 19 2005]
[link]
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And the physics behind this is? |
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Let's see. Hmmm. 3 human powered flight ideas in one week. I don't think this one would work, either. |
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Base - who cares as long as it works right? |
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Desert - I didn't think them up in one week, and any of
these ideas alone might not make you think human
powered flapping flight is possible but take them all
togther -- Spring Wings, Leg Wings, Pheasant Tail Feather
Wings, Undulating Wright Glider and Spiral Wing Tips,
surely you cannot deny the bald rapturous power of their
absolute truth? |
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Plus, isn't Leg Wings enough? I mean how can we have
gotten to the 21st century and no one has ever tried leg
wings? |
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How can we have gotten to the 21st century and Physics
teachers are still telling their classes that thing about
humans needing 6 ft square chests to be able to flap
wings? |
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[tap into the stored energy in wing tip vortices ] |
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I'd pay to watch you jump off something wearing this....it doesn't have to be dangerously high, just a rooftop or something. Or a pier, so you don't get hurt splashing in. |
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"Isn't leg wings enough?" |
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I thought you gave up on leg wings. I asked you "Imagine you are lying on a kickboard-like wheeled cart wearing your flippers. Could you propel yourself by kicking? Imagine someone gave you a push. Could you keep yourself moving by kicking?" and you never answered. |
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>>Imagine you are lying on a kickboard-like wheeled cart
wearing your flippers. Could you propel yourself by
kicking? |
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Yes, even if they were just flippers, especially if the
wheeled cart was on a frictionless surface. |
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But rather than think of them as flippers for just the feet
I am thinking of them as sort of body fins so that the
energy of the whole body can be translated through them
into the air. The bigest part of the fins will happen to be
on the lower half of your body since thats where most of
the power is. But I think even if they were just flippers,
if they were big enough you could propel yourself on a
cart. The hard part about this thought experiment is that
the cart keeps getting in the way of the body movements
you would have to make to efficiently use the flippers -- it
would be a whole body stroke, not a kick. |
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I can buy the fact that if you are on a level frictionless surface you may be able to create some movement by displacing air using your legs, but tilt that floor even slightly and you are going to roll downhill my friend. |
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>>How can we have gotten to the 21st
century and Physics teachers are still
telling their classes that thing about
humans needing 6 ft square chests to
be able to flap wings?<< |
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Well, I imagine it is because they
understand a little physics. |
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>> tilt that floor even slightly and you are going to roll
downhill my friend |
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Because the air is rushing by your flippers right? So now
imagine how you are going to stop the air from rushing by
your flippers. You have the energy in your legs to push
off a wall. The air will act like a wall if you treat it the
right way. How can you stop the air from rushing by your
flippers? Make them adaptive -- gradually tapering in
rigidity so that they become extreemly thin and
extreemly expandable at the edge -- so that they adapt
between you and the air. Then none of the air will get
by you and your cart will go up the inclined plane. |
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