A spinning rotary wing, comprised of ornithoptering blades, that requires no rotor, no empennage, no counter-rotating anything : just a single complex assemblage.

For machines with more than two blades, the cycle points are staggered for a smoother flight (ie: they're all at different points in their cycle).

flappity flappity flappity flappity.
-- FlyingToaster, Sep 01 2017

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithopter [FlyingToaster, Sep 02 2017]

Ornithopter in flight https://www.youtube...watch?v=a-qS7oN-3tA
[FlyingToaster, Sep 02 2017]

regards to Flying_20blade_20helicopter
put ailerons on the blades to power articulation. [FlyingToaster, Sep 02 2017]

Forget the rotation https://www.festo.c.../bionicopter-SD.mp4
Flappy enough?. A scale model of something on Lexx's extrapolation. [wjt, Sep 03 2017]

I have no idea whether this would fly, but I love it. How large a butterfly net will I need?
-- pertinax, Sep 02 2017


For the idea ? or the author.

It should fly : (regular) ornithopters are available as flying models, and a university has built and flown both human and engine-powered vehicles.

Like a helicopter, it has 2 or more wings attached to a hub ; unlike a regular helicopter where the hub pushes against the fuselage to turn, the wings push themselves... topographically like a tip-jet 'copter.
-- FlyingToaster, Sep 02 2017


I really have no idea if this would fly or not. My gut is saying no, an ornithopter needs to push against the wind to generate thrust as well as lift; here the thrust simply spins the blades faster. What lifting force that would otherwise result seems lost. But I could be wrong.
-- RayfordSteele, Sep 02 2017


Well, obviously the wings would be designed specifically for the application. It's not difficult to imagine the outer portions of the blade doing most of the work : like a helicopter, the bit closest the axis doesn't do much: not enough speed or room to work.
-- FlyingToaster, Sep 02 2017


A couple of trimed wobble boards attached to model helicopter must be just the test. A sound idea for built up areas.
-- wjt, Sep 03 2017


I'm sure that some configuration matching this description could be made to fly. It would definitely be cool to watch.

I wonder if it might be useful on an extremely small scale. I have the impression that it is much easier to create a flapping motion with MEMS than to create a MEMS motor coupled to a propeller. But pure flapping flight is pretty tricky. By putting enough wings around a rigid ring, the oscillations get canceled out.
-- scad mientist, Sep 03 2017


There's possibly a solid airfoil that could be useful for the entire flap sequence, but I had in mind each blade having a few adjustable spars to cycle it through different airfoils for different AoA's - that and a cotton or clear-mylar skin would give it the required steampunky/DaVinci look.

But MEMS would certainly be the pro version.
-- FlyingToaster, Sep 03 2017


completely non-flapping, but I would like to see a computer stabilized flying muffin fan where the outer rim is stationary. make it round and it looks like a UFO with a fan in the middle
-- beanangel, Sep 05 2017


You could do that with the right sort of POV lighting effects.
-- RayfordSteele, Sep 05 2017



random, halfbakery