New wind turbine mimics the hummingbird

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Danette Breitenbach

Hummingbirds flap their wings about 80 times per second. They are also able to hover by flapping their wings in a figure-eight pattern. The tiny bird's design makes it one of nature's most efficient and agile flyers. Tyer Wind, a company based in Tunisa, has looked to this unique design to redesign how we harvest wind energy. The project aims to develop a revolutionary new wind convertor based on a deep and different observation of nature.

Tyer wind converter

The Tyer wind converter perfectly mimics the motion of the efficient hummingbird. Invented by Anis Aouini, the Tyer machine does not use rotating blades like a traditional wind turbine. Instead, it flaps its “wings”, converting that energy into green energy with the help of what the company has dubbed 3D Aouininan kinematics.

Combined, the two wings sweep an area of nearly 12 square feet, with a pre-industrial rated power output of 1kW.