A bat inspired the wing structure of Leonardo da Vinci’s ornithopter.
Leonardo studied birds and bats while developing machines intended to imitate flapping flight. His ornithopter designs used large wings and mechanical linkages that a human pilot would operate, often by moving pedals or handles. The bat was especially useful as a model because its wing membrane is supported by elongated fingers, a structure that could be represented in a framework of rods and fabric.
An ornithopter is a machine that flies by flapping wings rather than by using fixed wings or a propeller. Leonardo’s machines were never capable of carrying a person into sustained flight, because human muscles cannot provide enough power for the proposed scale. His investigations still helped connect anatomical observation with mechanical design.