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On developing a humanoid that could potentially fly... |
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Okay, this is the first post of the newly revamped journal, so let's make it a good one.
Over the past few days, I have been researching how to alter humans to give them the ability to fly. It hasn't been easy, but it sure has been fun. This all stems, of course, from my recent discovery of the Maximum Ride series. Personally, I didn't think that a 13- foot wingspan would be enough to hold up a 100lb human. Upon further research, I discovered that it may actually be possible to do this. The wing surface area to weight equation is A = W^2/3 (I had to convert it all to grams and centimeters, to ensure accuracy. Better safe than sorry). In simpler terms, a 100lb human would need only 21 sq. ft. of wing surface area to keep aloft!
So, because I don't know the exact shape of Max's wings, I'll use this example.
Say that the wings are rectangular. (I know that they wouldn't be, this is just hypothetical) If a pair of rectangular wings had a 13 ft. wingspan, and they need to carry a 100lb human, how wide would they need to be? The answer is 1.6 ft. Think of that! Not even 2 ft. wide!
Prior to this discovery, I was designing wings that would have a maximum 22 ft. wingspan, and still would be able to fold without scraping the ground. The wing surface area of these wings turned out to be 77.5 sq. ft.! If you do the math, that equates to a maximum weight of about 253lbs! Amazing!
Of course, there are still many problems to be worked out. I turn to you, fellow Gaians, to assist me in any way you can! These are the questions I will be working on in the next few days, and any ideas you have would be greatly appreciated.
1. On Maximum Ride: Fang and Iggy have 14ft. wingspans, yet can fold their wings so well that they can be covered with a jacket or sweatshirt. My question is this: What skeletal configuration would the wings need to be able to fold that small? I've tried several designs, but have been unable to make it work as of yet.
2. The wings in my design have only 1 bone attaching them to the back. For a 100-200lb human, is it a serious concern that the wings may snap off at the join due to the weight? If so, how can I re-design them to avoid this issue? I think I may have to fit two bones at the join instead of one. It's difficult, though, to get a second bone that will fit and still be able to fold the wing properly. Ideas on this?
3. If someone could find some diagrams of various birds muscular and/or skeletal systems, as well as that of humans, and send them to me, that would be great for the next step in this investigation.
Info on wings only at this time (apart from #3)- I'll be working on the rest of the body structure in future posts. Thank you for any ideas and comments! I would love to hear from you!
 Black Amaranth · Sun Sep 16, 2007 @ 08:02pm · 0 Comments |
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