The robot explains the purpose of dinosaur feathers; look

For a long time, researchers believed that dinosaurs were related to reptiles. Over time, it was discovered that the giants were actually closer to birds, including having feathers on their wings. However, many animals cannot even fly, raising questions about the usefulness of feathers.

The new dinosaur robot conducted the test and discovered that it was used to scare away prey. See demos.

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Dinosaur robot

Many theories have been put forward to try to figure out the purpose of dinosaur wing feathers. Move faster? Protection from the cold?

The answer was found by the metal robot Robopteryx, a robotic version of the dinosaur Caudipteryx, a peacock-sized species with a tail and rudimentary feathered wings that lived 124 million years ago.

So, he tested one hypothesis proposed by researchers in South Korea: the so-called “streaming pursuit strategy,” in which dinosaurs spread their wings to flush prey (in this case, insects) from their burrows and capture them.

As you remember TechXploreThis was a strategy also observed in modern birds.

What happened in the experiment?

The experiment provided three demonstrations of how dinosaurs used their wings and feathers to scare away prey.

• In the first case, the robot extends its forelimbs with its proto-wings. The grasshopper's reaction is to jump/fly, indicating that it has already come out of hiding.
• In the second case, the robot folds the front limbs using proto-wings. Once again, the grasshopper jumps/flyes away.
• In the third case, the robot makes upward movements with its feathered tail. The grasshopper is flying.

look:

Other robotic dinosaur results

• According to Jinsuk Park, of Seoul National University and lead author of the study, the grasshoppers jumped more frequently when the robotic dinosaur showed its wings.
• In addition, they were more likely to jump when the robots' wings were painted with black and white spots.
• The researchers also created computer animations of the real dinosaur to test how grasshoppers activate their neurons in the laboratory for potential escape.
• When the wing colors were contrasting, the escape reflex was more likely to be activated.
• According to Piotr G. Jablonski, another author of the study, said this may indicate that the evolution of dinosaurs and feathers was partly influenced by insect neurons.