'PigeonBot' brings aircraft closer to feathered-flight

Researchers at Stanford University said they had studied the wings of common pigeon cadavers, then used their findings to build a radio-controlled robot with wings made with 40 real feathers. [Lentink Lab / Stanford University/AFP / HO]

Since the dawn of the aviation era, inventors have strived to build aircraft that fly as nimbly as birds, whose morphable wings allow for faster, tighter turns and more efficient gliding.

That dream was a step closer to reality Thursday after researchers at Stanford University announced they had studied the wings of common pigeon cadavers, then used their findings to build a radio-controlled "PigeonBot" with wings made with 40 real feathers.