Meta Bird

“can this really replace this supposedly it flies like a real bird and I should forget about drones and experience flight like never before bold claims from this Indie tech let's see if it can truly soar and find out if the locals will accept him as one of their own no get out of there get out of there is it a plane is it a bird it's a bird-shaped drone called The Meta bird and no marks Zuckerberg didn't make it it's just something I stumbled on and thought I got to try this to be clear this video is not sponsored in any way and for that I'm eternally grateful we'll find out why later on now when it comes to drones let's just say I've done some things that would make mcgyver proud and maybe the FFA want to surveil me from attaching a Lura transceiver and creating my own data Slayer cell tower to Jerry rigging a magnetic charger to facilitate air-to-air refuelings but as a Meridian and having just endured the 2024 hurricane season I got a new perspective on how impactful those natural disasters can be from inaccessible roads to blackout spots to critical search and rescue but amid the chaos an unsung Tech hero began to rise according to a study published in nature medicine approximately 9% of the global population or 650 million people cannot reach Health Care within 1 hour even if they have access access to motorized transport drones have the power to change that by bringing relief to them but only if we push the boundaries of design and efficiency so I thought hold up I live in Florida Hurricane Alley I love reviewing new ambitious Tech that's a little offbeat a little Indie and maybe even a bit impractical well metab bird checks all those boxes so who better to kick the tires on alternative drone Tech than the data Slayer himself now before folks fly into the comments section let me be clear this thing is not on par with current drone Tech like DJI instead it's a concept drone that may be an exciting step towards democratizing the skies imagine down the line a drone ecosystem powered by something as affordable and accessible as a Raspberry Pi so it might not beat DJI today but that doesn't mean it won't evolve into something revolutionary tomorrow so I took a chance and ordered the Drone pretty impressed it didn't even break three figures and just about that time when I was telling Amelia that I'm pretty sure I got scammed I saw this innocuous little package the metab bird has arrived now I'm skeptical but it has the evolutionary Advantage so I studied the directions let's talk about the weight difference first so the metab bird is feather light compared to the DGI mini which weighs in at around 250 g the metab bird is in a completely different category its lightweight foam body is designed for agility and burn birdlike motion and it's definitely not built to handle the rugged tasks of heavier drones they say this thing can be flown indoors my living room strongly disagrees now let's break down the anatomy of this thing the body is made entirely of foam which keeps it light and crash resistant its wingspan is 33 cm with a length of 16 CM inside it's powered by a custom-developed 1”

“0 and has a range of up to 100 m it's top speed 12 mph not breaking any records but it's enough to replicate the leisurely Glide of a bird in flight however one of the biggest complaints about drones is the constant high-pitched buzzing sound they make during flight it's disruptive and can be a real annoyance to see if meta's new ornithopter style meta bird offers an improvement I compared its sound levels to the more familiar DJI mini in a deciel test the results the metab bird measured 75 DB compared to the DGI minis 83 while the overall volume is only slightly reduced I did notice that the metab bird sound is less piercing in nature a lower more tolerable pitch compared to the sharper hum of the DJI it's not silent by any means but it's a noticeable step toward quieter drone technology the metab bird's wings are crafted from a blend of carbon fiber and liquid Crystal polymers materials known for their exceptional strength and flexibility this combination allows the wings to flex and recover from impacts without losing their shape or functionality adding to its resilience the body is made from indestructible foam which absorbs shocks and protects the Drone from Falls and collisions now you might think foam is just a prototyping material but it's more than that even zipline the groundbreaking drone company with a proven track record of delivering life-saving medical supplies to remote areas relies on foam for its lightweight yet incredibly durable properties this thoughtful combination of materials makes the metab bird remarkably robust able to handle mishaps and obstacles that might sideline other drones and I know this firsthand I managed to get it stuck in a tree where it endured some serious abuse from other birds yet it came down intact and flight worthy ready to take off again without a hitch it's hard to Envision this thing carrying a payload but I mean big birds seem to be able to do it so meet zucky let's talk about how this thing works and what makes it special apparently the meta bird is all about imitating the movements of a swallow it's a simple question of weight ratios a 5 O bird bird could not carry a 1B coconut well it doesn't matter and there's a good reason for that in robotics mimicking nature is called biomimicry and it has often proven to be more efficient than purely human designs just look at spot from Boston Dynamics evolutionary designs like these often have a leg up on traditional rigid mechanics now most drones were used to have propellers that lift them helicopter Style but this zucky flaps its wings it's essentially an ornithopter a design inspired by how birds actually fly and yes I'm already afraid of crashing this thing and not being able to steer it properly the controls are a bit different from your average drone and instead of adjusting the propellers or pitch angles you're working with a system that coordinates Wing flaps and gliding patterns when it comes to piloting the metab bird you'll need to download the companion app called The Flying app on I iOS and just flying app on Android the app gives you a couple of ways to steer one option uses your device's accelerometer letting you tilt your phone to control the bird's movement it's a neat concept but I didn't feel confident in the reaction times for precise control instead I opted for the one finger control mode this setup provides a throttle on the Y AIS to adjust flapping speed and a Rudder on the xais for steering it was pretty reli iable and intuitive and if you lift your finger off the controls zucky stops flapping and Glides smoothly until you're ready to resume the app's design is simple yet effective giving you the flexibility to experiment with different flying techniques and get the most out of your metab bird experience [Music] charging it is simple though you plug it in and in about 12 minutes zucky's ready to soar again and worth mentioning this thing can glide just like a real bird so once those Wings Stop flapping zucky doesn't just drop it actually coasts through the air just like a real bird so the meta bird so the meta bird has these very high Hightech ballasts which you can slide along the wing to help it Fly more straight but I'm still curious how well this thing can actually fly before we take this guy on its maiden voyage I want to linger for a second on the real world applications of emerging drone Tech back in 2018 during the Thai cave rescue I had a close friend who was from Bangkok and we watched the events unfold with baited breath following every update every breakthrough every setback and I'll never forget this peculiar revelation we can send people to the moon and robots to Mars yet rescuing a group of kids from a cave was somehow proving impossible so on top of the unease I also felt helpless sure we were fortunate to witness a global effort countries and volunteers pulling their expertise for a pretty miraculous outcome but that outcome was never guaranteed and it reminded me of a truth we often Overlook disaster relief isn't always about impossible Feats so much of it boils down to a simple Logistics problem finding the right tools the right Solutions at the right time fast forward to the 2024 hurricane season here in Florida and that feeling of helplessness hit all over again the Atlantic hurricane season devastated Florida with almost 400 fatalities and nearly $200 billion in Damages hurricanes Helen and Milton were the most destructive with Milton alone causing about $170 billion in losses 24 deaths and widespread destruction from Storm surges rain and tornadoes over 2”

“3 million people lost power and debris still covers communities emergency declarations highlight one of the most catastrophic seasons on record here's where it gets interesting though organizations like Dr responders of Miami have shown us just how powerful drones can be in disaster relief take rapid assessment for example drones equipped with highresolution cameras can survey massive disaster areas in minutes they pinpoint damage to homes roads and infrastructure so response teams can focus their efforts where they're needed most and fast then there's search and rescue with thermal imaging drones can spot survivors trapped under debris or isolated in flood Waters it doesn't matter if it's pitch black or a chaotic scene they can see what we can't and it doesn't stop there aerial footage captured by drones is a game Cher for damage assessment it gives agencies and ensures a clear view of what's been destroyed so the recovery process can start that much sooner drones are even taking on dangerous tasks like infrastructure inspection whether it's power lines or Bridges or buildings they can safely fly into identifying by hazards keeping human crews out of Harm's Way and in blackout zones where communication is critical drones step up as relays they create temporary networks reconnecting Families First Responders and anyone cut off in the chaos as drones evolve their role in disaster relief will only grow imagine drones capable of flying autonomously into the most dangerous zones delivering life-saving supplies or carrying Advanced Medical Equipment with better battery life increased payloads AI driven navigation and even the capability to operate in biohazard zones drones are rapidly becoming an indispensable tool in Humanity's fight against Nature's Most daunting challenges and that brings me to the metab bird sure it's not about to Dethrone the big players like DJI but it's part of a much bigger picture every new design no matter how quirky or ambitious pushes us closer to solving real world problems from Hurricane Alley in Florida to the most remote corners of the globe the future of humanitarian Tech begins with ideas as bold as this little bird okay so enough Theory let's take this thing into the field and see how well it performs first off you'll want a wide open space preferably free of trees my first spot seemed perfect until I got it stuck in a tree it's making friends thankfully a group of kids lent me their soccer ball to knock it loose but the real drama came from the local bird population they didn't take too kindly to zucky invading their territory the crows hate this thing look at it he was picking at it he was chasing him down they flew over dive bombed and even pecked at it maybe they were protecting a nest or maybe they just wanted to send a message to their new AI Overlord it does make you wonder is this more evidence that birds aren't real I'll let you decide once I found a truly open area I got a better sense of its capabilities The Meta bird can gain altitude and circle for quite some time but steering and maintaining control is a learning curve I managed to get it flying for several minutes before it drifted out of range and glided back down to the ground I kept thinking about upgrades swapping out the Bluetooth 4 for something with longer r range like a Laura radio or attaching a mini fpv camera to see things from the metab bird's perspective but I guess those are going to be projects for another day overall the metab bird is a fun piece of tech perfect for kids tinkerers or anyone who enjoys experimenting with gadgets it's got that quirky charm like something you'd have found out of Sharper Image back in the day metab bird won't replace Disaster Response drones we have today but what it does do is Showcase the potential for new designs and ideas to add value each new approach to drone technology like metab bird brings us closer to breakthroughs that could save lives whether through better battery life autonomous navigation or carrying essential supplies to areas where no one else can reach because sometimes we all need a little help from above check out the next killer Tech video right here”