Snow

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Posted on February 16, 2012 by Jarno

You guys might have been wondering, what has Jarno been up to?

The wing mechanism have been taken apart for detailed fixing. The freezing cold inside my workshop brought the risk of damaging the mechanics, so I decided to disassemble it. Sa after the first testflight I have spent time giving it some ‘tender love and care’. As you can see on the pictures below, the wingfabric is torn in some places. For now I’m quick-fixing it with duct tape. In the meanwhile thinking about a better solution.

Another reason nothing special has been happening is that The Netherlands have been covered with snow since the beginning of february. Which was a pity because I felt really anxious to try a second time with my wings. Anyhow, I have taken my time to relax, enjoy some iceskating and working on the wings. The passed couple of days the snow has melted away, so when the sun shines there might be some opportunities to fly coming up.

Learn from the birds

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Posted on February 8, 2012 by Jarno

After my first testrun I had to reconsider my take-off techniques. A lot of people have commented on the way my wings move and my running; the AoA of the wings would not have been ideal and the position of my body too much a contraproductive angle.

But ever since the beginning of this project I have been watching these guys, the albatrosses. They have this similar style Continue reading →

Podcast about my project

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Posted on February 5, 2012 by Jarno

Three geeks who call themselves Three’s a Quorum made a great podcast about ‘the least important news of the day’, and my project is one of the items they talk about. It’s fun stuff to listen to. So here it is.

Here’s the bit where they talk about my Human Birdwings project.
Three is a Quorum about Human Birdwings (click it, and it will play)

And here is the original link: http://3aq.tumblr.com/post/16799334255/ep-3-hawkmen-attack

Human Birdwings on WIRED

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Posted on January 31, 2012 by Jarno

These days I have been mainly focused with fixing details of the wings. So, you might have missed my regular updates? A digital friend actually wrote me wether I am still doing ok? I can tell you that I am!

First, thanks to all who have sent me very useful technical advise & help! It helped me refocus on what needed to be done after the first testflight. Continue reading →

What’s next?

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Posted on January 23, 2012 by Jarno

I got a lot of comments on the last video in which you can see my first test of the wings. The response was massive, not just on my YouTube channel but also on a lot of other blogs. (check Engadget, TechCrunch, Discovery Channel)

Some people really loved it and support what I am doing. But of course there was also a lot of criticism. Some were pessimistic and blatantly negative, but most were useful! Either way a very fruitful discussion.

For me this project is all about my dream, the seamingly impossible and pushing the limits of human capabilities and technical applications. I am happy that still a lot of people are willing to share this dream with me.

You should read this post on techblog Next Nature. They caputered my point perfectly.

“Arguably, the most desirable technologies are the ones that that take the human condition as a cornerstone. They resonate with our human senses, feel natural, empower people and that realize the dreams people have of themselves. For lack of a better word we call them ‘humane technologies’. Now here is an example what might be the most humane technology since the invention of the bicycle. Dutch mechanical-engineer Jarno Smeets dreams of flying like bird. “

Source: http://www.nextnature.net/2012/01/fly-like-a-bird-get-human-birdwings/

Anyway.

As soon as the weather is good I will continue testing or perhaps, flying.

Moving my birdwings

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Posted on December 22, 2011 by Jarno

Some time ago I connected the acceleration sensors of the HTC and Wii remote (and check this blogpost too for explanation). The next step was to send this acceleration data to my electronic speed controllers and outrunner motors. Floor and me went testing the system yesterday, watch the result below. I’m very proud of this.

So check out the photogallery and the video below. Also decided to attach an earlier sketch of the system, although it’s kind of a wild sketch, I think this explains what I did and how it works.

Continue reading →

First test with wings!

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Jarno

The wings did their job! The stakes were high for me, so I was disappointed that I only made a tiny hop in the air. But it worked!

While I was getting bored with the bad weather, I tried the wings in the factory floor below my workplace earlier. And that tiny pre-test proved that I could go outdoors to try the real thing. Although the weather this week didn’t look good at all! Yesterday in the afternoon the sun returned for just a couple of hours. So I prepared the wings with my crew a.s.a.p. and jumped in the van to the testinglocation.

Here it is guys. Enjoy!