French company Bionic Bird has launched a startup called X-Fly to produce an adult toy of the same name. This flying machine resembles a hybrid of an insect and a bird, which is held in the air by the movement of wings. It has been given a carbon fibre frame and reinforced wing mounts and supports to survive the inevitable falls.
As the French military became interested in the product, it received a number of improvements over the original technology. These include a larger wingspan for planning and the ability to change the order of wing flaps when flying over obstacles. The device has been given gyroscopic and overload sensors to monitor its condition.
You can use a special remote control or a smartphone screen to control X-Fly – in any case, the result leaves much to be desired. An advanced self-diagnostic system is needed to “save” the device from pilot errors. X-Fly is too small to turn it into an FPV drone, plus its behaviour in the air is more complicated than it seems. The flight speed varies from 5 to 20 km/h, and the control range is limited to 100 metres.
