Semi-human-powered flight project gets off the ground ... just
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Smeets' most recent schematic of the backplate strapped to a human pilot and connected to a large pair of constructed wings
The wings at rest in Smeets' workshop not long before the first test flight
Custom-machined ribs are used to stabilize the wings
Testing the wings seconds before lift off ...
The flapping wings appear to have held Smeets in the air for just a few seconds
Article Summary
A Dutch mechanical engineer is working on realizing da Vinci's dream of human-powered flight, with some help from modern technology. Jarnos Smeets is the driving force between the Human Birdwings Project, which utilizes a combination of gadgets including an HTC Wildfire S and a Wii remote. He claims to have conducted his first successful test flight this week, even though he didn't appear to get too far off the ground.
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