The next time you ’re at a music fete and see a giant rainbow trout swishing around in the sky , there ’s just a chance you might not be intoxicated . It might be scientists testing an airship that moves like a fish .
The material scientists from Switzerland call it the Airfish .
The 8 - time - long atomic number 2 - fill prototype glides through air as a fish swim through pee – by swishing its body and tail from side to side . As well as moving more gracefully than a formal sausage balloon , the Airfish is also much quieter and cleaner because it does n’t require the fume - belching engines and noisy propellers commonly used for mid - air manoeuvres . As such , goggle box broadcasters might favour it for capturing aerial footage of music and sport events , the team suggests .
Christa Jordi and colleague fromEMPA , the Swiss Union testing ground for material examination and researchin Dübendorf , replaced traditional airship propellers with long artificial muscles strapped on each side of the sausage balloon . The muscles are made from an acrylic polymer with atomic number 6 electrode deposited on either side : when a high potential drop is applied across the electrode , show a solid galvanic theatre across the polymer , the electrode are attracted to each other – physically compressing the material and forcing the Airfish to flex .
Alternate the voltages applied to each polymer muscleman and the muscle contraction will make the airship sway like a Pisces . Put some more membranes either side of its hinged tail end , and it can swoosh it back and forth .
come home to view
Trout action
“ We needed to mime a fish that ’s a various swimmer , not one that ’s a medical specialist in degraded acceleration or high manoeuvrability , ” sound out Jordi . “ So we chose the rainbow trout because it is a morsel of a Renaissance man . ”
The squad programmed software to hold in the power to each muscle and mimic the rhythm of the trout ’s movement , and course it on a computer slung alongside lithium - polymer batteries in the gondola beneath the airship .
In tests ( see video above ) they found that the apparent movement of the dead body and tail combine made the airship move forth at half a meter per second , with some half the swiftness supplied by each mechanism .
“ That ’s a slow walk speed , ” suppose Jordi . “ And it ’s interesting because you might retrieve that all its stop number comes from the undulating eubstance – but we record that ’s not the case by running the dead body and trail alone and then together . ”
She thinks the intention ’s quiet operation has potential for stadia and at gig arenas ; other applications could admit surveillance or animate being reflection . But first they need to improve their fly trout ’s muscles , which currently wear thin out after a duet of calendar month . They plan to try a hardier polymer made of silicone with silver electrodes alternatively .
Elegance aloft
Dan Speers , president ofMobile Airshipsin Brantford , Ontario – a Canadian supplier of sausage balloon used to carry adverts or cameras at outdoor music events – is impressed with the design . “ It is a very graceful - looking dirigible , with a not bad flowing shape , ” he says . “ Using a organization that does not require gasoline is always a addition , as it reduce down on air and noise defilement . ”
much , however , the blueprint face many problem . “ In an domain or stadium - similar setting , there are other befuddle factors that need to be come up to – such as fart currents , ” Speers say .
New Scientistexplores the results of human endeavour in the context of society and culture , providing comprehensive coverage of science and technology news .
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