Bats know how to store energy in wings to fly

That is the claim of Brown University (USA) after using 3-dimensional image cutting technology (XROMM) to find out how this mammal can fly in the air, in when the limbs of most other mammals are too thick and hard to fly.

Photo: nightowlgail.wordpress.com

XROMM technology combines 3D images of bone morphology with X-ray film motion data to help create a vivid illustration of bone movement in 3D space. As a result, experts can visualize the moving skeleton of the bat. Besides, the team also used fluorescence imaging to evaluate the change in wing length with high accuracy during the animal's stretching.

They found that the activity of the muscles providing energy for the animal to move and having at least a few muscles in the wings could be stretched with muscle strength and aerodynamic force, allowing it to control the movement of the bony bone fruits during flight.

Research results show that bats are the only species of mammals capable of stretching their wings to store energy when flying, making them more powerful. This study promises to be able to help develop small automatic aircraft for search and rescue operations both on the ground and underwater.