Ok, Bernoulli died in the 1780s, so the concept of aerodynamic lift was clearly understood, so why all the flapping wings?

^ They're those big ugly squarish things that haul coal off to the power plants.

I don't know what these shiny aerodynamic things are in this video, but they ain't trains!

It is a bat! Satan's spawn! It has wings! Wait... Angels have wings too.. but they are good. Why? Because their wings have feathers. Makes perfect sense. Does it not? Of course it does. Angels must have hollow bones though.. otherwise, how can they fly? They sure aren't a very aerodynamic creature. That is.... unless they have a 25' wingspan and back muscles that would put the largest muscle-men in the world to shame.

Congratulations China on discovering aerodynamics.

Maybe now you can stop stealing our technology?

Yes. I agree. Damn communists! Jesus surely doesn't approve. I know. He talks to me.

He says... "Lo ye be not caring for your world, for it shall not last. Yea await me for I will return at rapture all half worm eaten and rotten from the grave. Yes. For real. Magic-man is real. Magic exists. Sparks shall shoot from my fingers, for I am cool. Praise me for I fly in the sky with wings, because humans with wings may ignore all aspects of aerodynamics and the lift/weight ratio required for flight. I am bound by no physics. I am not bound by reality. I am as limitless as the imagination... for that is from which I was born."

there are many issues i have with this.

1) delta-wing aircraft are almost useless for passenger air travel. they're far more efficient for flying, but you can't put people anywhere but the center, since anyone over a wing would end up sideways whenever the plane banked. also, this would fly in a mild version of the parabolic flight pattern used by the vomit comet which, i believe, is rightly so called.

2) i'd imagine these craft would be kinda useless for freight, mainly because of how much helium one would need, though i could easily be wrong on that one.

3) it's probably slow. especially the first ascent to altitude. and landing it must be a lot of fun.

that's just the first couple of things i could think of. to be fair, i have no training in aviation or aerodynamics past high school physics, which was a while ago.

that all having been said, i love seeing new innovation in engineering. anyone interested in aviation should watch this TED talk by Burt Rutan on how the US govt has allowed innovation in aviation to stagnate

*music is Daft Punk - Aerodynamic *geek vote for this too

Frank E. Fish is more than just your ordinary marine biologist. In his study of humpback whales, Fish has managed to make a discovery that will alter the field of aerodynamics and make huge strides in the field of alternative wind power.

Check it out at http://www.whalepower.com/drupal/

Tags for this video have been changed from 'Speedo, NASA, None Friction, Wind Tunnel' to 'Speedo, NASA, Friction, Wind Tunnel, aerodynamic, drag, skin, resistance, Laser, Racer' - edited by my15minutes

Why don't consumer vehicles have mounted guards above their passenger compartments?

by the time the guard on the passenger compartment comes into contact with the trailer side, the car is already halfway underneath the semi. unless of course you mean some kind of giant piece of metal sticking up from the hood, effectively blocking your view of anything ahead of you.
that, or some kind of framework on the bumper, which would kill aerodynamics, wasting yet more precious fossil fuel to friction and drag.

but i understand that it's extremely difficult to engineer a piece of metal or hardened plastic/fiberglass onto the side of a semi. </sarcasm>

Great stuff!

Peregrines are amazing. I used to work on the 20th floor of a building in NYC near a bridge where a released pair nested and got to see them hunt (pigeons) and play in the air (they used to zoom around between buildings seemingly for nothing other than the fun of it). It was an incredible thrill to watch.

I read years ago that an aeronautical engineer skeptical of the 200+ MPH speeds attributed to Peregrines had tested a Peregrine cadaver in a wind tunnel and measured its terminal velocity at something like 75 MPH. He assumed that a live bird would be able to make itself somewhat more aerodynamic so his estimate of their actual speed was around 100 MPH. It looks like he grossly underestimated their ability to streamline.

Heres a few practical benefits:

TV Satellite Dish

NASA developed ways to correct errors in the signals coming from the spacecraft. This technology is used to reduce noise (that is, messed up picture or sound) in TV signals coming from satellites.

Medical Imaging

NASA developed ways to process signals from spacecraft to produce clearer images. (See more on digital information and how spacecraft send images from space.) This technology also makes possible these photo-like images of our insides.

Vision Screening System

Uses techniques developed for processing space pictures to examine eyes of children and find out quickly if they have any vision problems. The child doesn't have to say a word!

Ear Thermometer

Instead of measuring temperature using a column of mercury (which expands as it heats up), this thermometer has a lens like a camera and detects infrared energy, which we feel as heat. The warmer something is (like your body), the more infrared energy it puts out. This technology was originally developed to detect the birth of stars.

Fire Fighter Equipment

Fire fighters wear suits made of fire resistant fabric developed for use in space suits.

Smoke Detector

First used in the Earth orbiting space station called Skylab (launched back in 1973) to help detect any toxic vapors. Now used in most homes and other buildings to warn people of fire.

Sun Tiger Glasses

From research done on materials to protect the eyes of welders working on spacecraft, protective lenses were developed that block almost all the wavelengths of radiation that might harm the eyes, while letting through all the useful wavelengths that let us see.

Automobile Design Tools

A computer program developed by NASA to analyze a spacecraft or airplane design and predict how parts will perform is now used to help design automobiles. This kind of software can save car makers a lot of money by letting them see how well a design will work even before they build a prototype.

Cordless Tools

Portable, self-contained power tools were originally developed to help Apollo astronauts drill for moon samples. This technology has lead to development of such tools as the cordless vacuum cleaner, power drill, shrub trimmers, and grass shears.

Aerodynamic Bicycle Wheel

A special bike wheel uses NASA research in airfoils (wings) and design software developed for the space program. The three spokes on the wheel act like wings, making the bicycle very efficient for racing.

Thermal Gloves and Boots

These gloves and boots have heating elements that run on rechargeable batteries worn on the inside wrist of the gloves or embedded in the sole of the ski boot. This technology was adapted from a spacesuit design for the Apollo astronauts.

Space Pens

The Fisher Space Pen was developed for use in space. Most pens depend on gravity to make the ink flow into the ball point. For this space pen, the ink cartridge contains pressured gas to push the ink toward the ball point. That means, you can lie in bed and write upside down with this pen! Also, it uses a special ink that works in very hot and very cold environments.

Shock Absorbing Helmets

These special football helmets use a padding of Temper Foam, a shock absorbing material first developed for use in aircraft seats. These helmets have three times the shock absorbing ability of previous types.

Ski Boots

These ski boots use accordion-like folds, similar to the design of space suits, to allow the boot to flex without distortion, yet still give support and control for precision skiing.

Failsafe Flashlight

This flashlight uses NASA's concept of system redundancy, which is always having a backup for the parts of the spacecraft with the most important jobs. This flashlight has an extra-bright primary bulb and an independent backup system that has its own separate lithium battery (also a NASA developed technology) and its own bulb.

Invisible Braces

These teeth-straightening braces use brackets that are made of a nearly invisible translucent (almost see-through) ceramic material. This material is a spinoff of NASA's advanced ceramic research to develop new, tough materials for spacecraft and aircraft.

Edible Toothpaste

This is a special foamless toothpaste developed for the astronauts to use in space (where spitting is not a very good idea!) Although this would be a great first toothpaste for small children, it is no longer available.

Joystick Controllers

Joystick controllers are used for lots of things now, including computer games and vehicles for people with disabilities. These devices evolved from research to develop a controller for the Apollo Lunar Rover, and from other NASA research into how humans actually operate (called "human factors").

Advanced Plastics

Spacecraft and other electronics need very special, low-cost materials as the base for printed circuits (like those inside your computer). Some of these "liquid crystal polymers" have turned out to be very good, low-cost materials for making containers for foods and beverages.

From Wikipedia,
The P-791 is an experimental aerostatic/aerodynamic hybrid airship developed by Lockheed-Martin Corporation. The first flight of the P-791 was made on 31 January 2006 at the company's flight test facility on the Palmdale Air Force Plant 42. According to press reports, the designation "P-791" has no particular meaning.

Hybrid airship design

The P-791 is an example of a hybrid airship. In such designs, part of the weight of the craft and its payload are supported by aerostatic (buoyant) lift and the remainder is supported by aerodynamic lift.

The combination of aerodynamic and aerostatic lift is an attempt to create a craft that is a "best of both worlds" combination with the high speed of aerodynamic craft and the lifting capacity of aerostatic craft. Critics of the hybrid approach have labeled it as being the "worst of both worlds" in that such craft require a runway for take-off and landing, are difficult to control and protect on the ground, and have relatively poor aerodynamic performance.[citation needed]

Proponents of hybrid designs claim that these shortcomings can be overcome through advanced technologies. In particular, it has been proposed that the use of various buoyancy control mechanisms can minimize or in some cases eliminate the need for a runway. However, to date, no effective buoyancy control mechanism has ever been demonstrated on a hybrid airship.

No hybrid airship design has ever been developed past the initial experimental stages. And, in spite of the fact that many such designs have been proposed over the years, very few proposed designs have ever flown. One example of hybrid airship design that did take flight was the Aereon 26.

moonsammy, you are overreacting to pure coincidence, obviously.

by the way, the speed of air flowing across a surface (like a car window) decreases towards the surface. At the surface, the speed is nearly zero. so it's easier to cling to the window than to stick your arm out. plus, a bird is obviously very aerodynamic, meaning the air isn't obstructed much by the bird, meaning it isn't being pushed off very much.

but anyway, nice clip, i am just being boring.

That´s what happens if you do it the american way: lots of hp in some every-day car without care for aerodynamics or a proper chassis construction... Sorry but this is 100% the guy´s own fault.