If you've never heard the sound of an owl in flight, you're not alone. The wings it is almost silent during the duration of flightand this very fact came to the attention of the researchers.
A research team is studying what makes the owl's flights so quiet, and they hope to apply the “technology” to create silent aircraft, wind turbines and submarines.
In accordance with Mashable, owl wings have three physical characteristics that make them silent. First, there is a comb of rigid wings along the front end of the wings. Second, the rear end of the wing has a flexible margin with soft feathers. A rigid back on the wings of other birds creates plenty of noise during the flight. And thirdly, a material on the top of the wing works like a soft carpet. When the air passes over the velvety upper side of the wing, the noise disappears.
Scientists after their observations are in a search phase to apply these features to technology.
"If this owl-noise mechanism works, it can have far-reaching effects on the vibrations in aircraft and wind turbines," said Justin Jaworski, an assistant professor at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
The team presented her findings on Sunday in Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics.
