Bird-like drone soars in Beijing

A robotic bird secretly carrying a drone was showcased during the World Robot Conference in Beijing last Tuesday.

Footage shows the robot, called Wind Rider, flying while being controlled remotely, flapping its wings just like a real bird.

"This robot can only glide using the wind or fly with electric power. It can fly with power outage for a long time," according to Cai Yu, the CEO of Bee-eater Technology. "It is just like a real bird - for example, frigate birds can stay in the air for 3 months and some other birds can fly over 10,000 km in 8 days without eating and drinking. It also has the gliding option, so, the efficiency is high," Cai added.

The World Robot Conference took place for the fifth consecutive time in Beijing from August 19 to August 25. In the exhibition area covering 52,000 square meters, various kinds of robots, including industrial robots, service robots, special-purpose robots, biomimetic robots, and intelligent logistic robots were displayed.

RUPTLY