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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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Scientists Build a World's First Self-Relaunching Bird Robot That Can Jump, Fly, Land, and Take Off Again—All by Itself

For centuries, humans have admired the effortless way birds fly. A bird can land almost anywhere, rest for a while, and then suddenly jump into the air before spreading its wings and flying away. Scientists have long dreamed of giving flying robots the same ability. Now, a team of researchers led by Li has taken a major step toward making that dream a reality.

The researchers have developed a large flapping-wing robot, called an ornithopter, that can jump into the air, take off without human assistance, land safely, and prepare itself for another flight. This remarkable achievement could change the future of aerial robotics, opening new possibilities for rescue operations, environmental monitoring, surveillance, and scientific exploration.

What Is an Ornithopter?

An ornithopter is a flying machine that flies by flapping its wings like a bird instead of using spinning propellers like drones or engines like airplanes.

Unlike traditional drones, ornithopters are:

  • Much quieter during flight.

  • More energy-efficient.

  • Better at gliding to save power.

  • More difficult to detect because they resemble birds.

These advantages make ornithopters ideal for missions where low noise, long flight time, and natural-looking movement are important.

The Biggest Challenge

Although ornithopters fly very efficiently, they have one major weakness.

Most large ornithopters cannot take off on their own.

Unlike birds, they usually need a person to throw them into the air or launch them using special equipment. Some require a long runway to build enough speed before they can fly.

This limits their usefulness because they cannot independently restart their missions after landing.

Imagine a rescue robot landing in a forest to inspect an area. If it cannot take off again without human help, the mission ends there.

Researchers wanted to solve exactly this problem.

Learning from Nature

Birds have already solved the take-off problem through millions of years of evolution.

Instead of relying only on their wings, many birds first jump powerfully using their legs. This jump gives them enough height and forward speed to begin flapping their wings and continue flying.

Inspired by this natural strategy, Li and the research team designed an ornithopter with a bird-like jumping mechanism.

The result is a flying robot that behaves much more like a real bird.

How the Jumping System Works

The new ornithopter includes a specially designed jumping mechanism attached beneath its body.

Before take-off:

  • High-energy carbon fiber springs store energy.

  • The robot balances itself using a tripod-like support.

  • Sensors monitor its condition.

  • When ready, the stored energy is released instantly.

The powerful jump launches the ornithopter into the air.

At exactly the right moment, its flapping wings begin generating lift, allowing it to smoothly transition from jumping to flying.

This process closely resembles how birds naturally leave the ground.

Smart Sensors Control Every Step

The ornithopter is more than just a mechanical machine.

It uses onboard sensors to monitor every stage of its operation.

The sensors determine:

  • Whether the robot is standing correctly.

  • If enough energy has been stored.

  • The right time to jump.

  • Whether take-off was successful.

  • When landing has been completed.

After landing, the system automatically prepares for another launch.

If the robot tips over, it can even adjust its posture and return to a stable standing position before attempting another jump.

Designed for Continuous Missions

One of the most exciting features of this research is that the ornithopter is designed for continuous operation.

Instead of completing only one flight, it can:

  • Land.

  • Recharge its spring mechanism.

  • Stand upright.

  • Prepare for another jump.

  • Take off again.

All of these actions happen without human intervention.

This makes the robot much more useful for long-duration outdoor missions.

Built for Real Outdoor Environments

Many previous ornithopter experiments were performed only inside laboratories.

However, real-world environments are much more challenging.

The researchers tested their design outdoors on different surfaces and under natural wind conditions.

The results were impressive.

During outdoor testing:

  • 40 jump-assisted take-off attempts were performed.

  • 32 flights were successful.

This represents an 80% success rate in real outdoor conditions.

Researchers found that uneven ground and changing wind conditions affected performance, but even after unsuccessful attempts, the robot could recharge its spring mechanism and try again without needing assistance.

Efficient Flight Saves Energy

Once airborne, the ornithopter behaves much like a soaring bird.

Instead of continuously flapping its wings at maximum speed, it can take advantage of natural air currents.

By reducing wing-flapping frequency while gliding, the aircraft consumes much less energy.

This increases flight endurance and allows longer missions than many conventional drones.

Because flapping-wing flight is naturally quieter than spinning propellers, the ornithopter is also less likely to disturb wildlife or attract attention.

Why Large Ornithopters Matter

Small flapping-wing robots already exist, but they have important limitations.

Most miniature ornithopters:

  • Carry very little weight.

  • Are easily affected by wind.

  • Cannot fly long distances.

  • Have short battery life.

Large ornithopters solve many of these problems.

They offer:

  • Longer flight times.

  • Greater payload capacity.

  • Higher flying altitude.

  • Better wind resistance.

  • Faster travel over long distances.

However, their larger size also makes take-off more difficult because wing flapping alone cannot generate enough lift from a standing start.

The new jumping system overcomes this obstacle.

Possible Future Applications

A fully autonomous jumping ornithopter could perform many valuable tasks.

Potential applications include:

  • Search and rescue after earthquakes or floods.

  • Wildlife observation without disturbing animals.

  • Forest monitoring.

  • Agricultural crop inspection.

  • Border surveillance.

  • Military reconnaissance.

  • Environmental research.

  • Disaster assessment.

Because the aircraft resembles a bird and flies quietly, it could safely operate in places where noisy drones may not be suitable.

Current Limitations

Although the new ornithopter represents a major advance, it is not yet fully autonomous.

Its controller is based on a simple microcontroller capable of running pre-programmed flight sequences.

More advanced artificial intelligence would require a powerful onboard computer.

Unfortunately, current miniature computers, such as the Jetson Nano, are still too heavy for this lightweight aircraft.

As smaller and more efficient processors become available, future versions could gain advanced capabilities such as:

  • Autonomous navigation.

  • Obstacle avoidance.

  • Object recognition.

  • Real-time decision-making.

  • Intelligent mission planning.

Looking Ahead

The researchers also designed the jumping mechanism as a modular system.

This means future versions can easily include additional sensors, communication equipment, cameras, or scientific instruments depending on the mission.

Future improvements may also increase take-off reliability under stronger winds and rougher terrain.

These developments could transform ornithopters from experimental research platforms into practical autonomous flying robots.

A Bird-Inspired Future

Nature has spent millions of years perfecting the art of flight, and engineers continue to learn valuable lessons from it.

By combining bird-inspired jumping, flapping wings, smart sensors, and automatic posture adjustment, Li and the research team have created one of the most capable large ornithopters developed so far.

Although there is still work to be done before these machines achieve complete autonomy, this innovation represents an important milestone in bio-inspired robotics.

In the near future, robotic birds may be able to land in remote forests, inspect disaster zones, monitor wildlife, or explore dangerous environments—then simply jump back into the sky and continue their mission, just like real birds.

Reference: Li, X., Zhang, Z., Dunkin, F. et al. Large-sized ornithopters achieve continuous flight through jump-assisted takeoff. npj Robot 4, 4 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44182-025-00067-8

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