Flying toys are fun. From RC planes and novelty drones to flying dinosaurs, taking control of airborne contraptions just make for an entertaining time. If you want to spend your flight time at the park feeling like you’re piloting an actual bird, though, you might want to fly the Bionic Bird X-Fly instead.
A biomimetic drone, the toy replicates the intricate flight patterns of birds and insects, allowing you to maneuver it in the air like an actual flying creature. Granted, it looks more like a weird winged robot than a bird when it’s not in flight, but it definitely takes things up a notch once it soars in the air.
The Bionic Bird X-Fly is a winged drone that soars in the air by flapping its wings, much like a real bird. Equipped with a 16-inch wingspan, the bird can fly at speeds between three and 12 mph, allowing it to soar casually or speed mightily, depending on how you want to fly it. Instead of relying on faster wing flaps, though, it can adjust the speed by simply repositioning the tail angle, which, we have to admit, sounds really cool. Like other drones, of course, its actual flight speed will depend on the prevailing winds, so it won’t be able to take flight in any wind speeds past 12 mph.
It has a head that serves as a bumper and a flexible neck, allowing the drone to stay intact during head-on collisions, while resilient elastic legs allow it to crash without taking damage. An X-shaped structure offers durable protection for the electronic components, while carbon fiber construction ensures a robust build that will allow it to handle indoor and outdoor environments alike.
The Bionic Bird X-Fly comes with a six-axis gyro and a G-sensor, allowing it to have some flight assistance features that make piloting a breeze. Specifically, it allows the bird to fly at a perfectly straight line when you’re not performing any steering, all while allowing it to self-correct any time the wind blows it out of place. The sensors also come in handy for stall protection, which keeps the drone from stalling when you oversteer, which should make it easier to control when navigating narrow spaces. Do note, electronic assistance is fully configurable, so can dial it up for novice flyers and tone it down for more experienced ones.
The battery is rated at only eight minutes of flight time at max speeds (up to 12 minutes at lower speeds), although it comes in a swappable design, so you can land the bird and replace it with a fresh one to get back up in the air. Everything is controlled using a smartphone app (iOS and Android), so range is limited by the Bluetooth connection, requiring you to fly it within 330 feet with a clean line of sight. An optional joystick can also be attached to the smartphone for those who want more tactile flight controls. Aside from flying the drone, the app can also record flight data, so you can have detailed recordings of every flight session.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Bionic Bird X-Fly. You can reserve a unit for pledges starting at €85.