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Man Supposedly Flies With Custom-Built Bird Wings

wired.com

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Re: Man Supposedly Flies With Custom-Built Bird Wings

#81

Post by jQueryIsAwesome »

saturn wrote: post #69

This video is fake, that has been established beyond doubt. But CGI, even "prosumer" CGI like this, is really getting better. Even at this level, people are relying on "hints" that a CGI transition has taken place - camera looks away, is obscured, or the picture is blurry. Give it a couple of years and those distracting-from-transition tricks probably won't be necessary any more. Then what?

- How about broadcasting this image to the entire world?

- There is not point in that, images don't have value as evidence anymore, it'd just end up as an entertaining image that came from an unknown source at an opportune time.

(from "Ghost in the Shell")

Re: Man Supposedly Flies With Custom-Built Bird Wings

#82

Post by petroica »

binarysolo wrote: post #30

Maybe the Internet has ruined me too, but this reminds me of that other viral ad campaign of guys running on water. http://gawker.com/5539222/how-not-to-fall-for-a-viral-market... (Yes it's Gawker but they did have one of the better write-ups :/ ). A few minutes browsing the project homepage ( http://www.humanbirdwings.net ) and WHOIS ( http://whois.net/whois/humanbirdwings.net ) makes it look more legit though...

How does the WHOIS info make it look more legit?

Re: Man Supposedly Flies With Custom-Built Bird Wings

#83

Post by artursapek »

TylerE wrote: post #61
artursapek wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It reeks of "Liquid Mountaineering." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe3St1GgoHQ Especially the cheesy editing. If this is an attempt at viral marketing, it's worth remembering how many people got pissed at the shoe company that commissioned the Liquid Mountaineering ad - Hi-Tec I think it was. Edit: If you watch his previous video, at 1:53 here you can clearly see the leaves changing as it blurs and cuts to another s…

Liquid Mountaineering looks to be the exact opposite of this. That was clearly a platform just under the surface of the water. The actual footage was genuine, they just weren't doing what they claimed to be doing, whereas this certainly looks to be a total fake job. Stage magic vs cut-rate Michael Bay

Different techniques, same effect and goal... it's not the opposite of this at all.

Re: Man Supposedly Flies With Custom-Built Bird Wings

#84

Post by marshray »

In the part 14 video, at 0:34 it cuts to another camera on the right much closer to the point of liftoff. It's not a long range shot because the angle seems to sweep up to 45 degrees quickly. A camera at this position should be visible in the shot before, but there's not one.

Edit: OK at 0:23 you catch a glimpse of someone by the lake that might be in position for that shot.

Re: Man Supposedly Flies With Custom-Built Bird Wings

#86

Post by codeonfire »

papalalu wrote: post #32
jsprinkles wrote: post #7

I'm skeptical. Am I the only one that noticed what appeared to be the plethora of CGI in the video?

it's definitely fake - check the previous video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0tKFOcHyrI&t=1m30s

Unfortunately they crash land in the uncanny valley at 1:56

Re: Man Supposedly Flies With Custom-Built Bird Wings

#87

Post by ilaksh »

khalidmbajwa wrote: post #55

Interesting that Jamie Hyneman of the MythBusters fame Doesn't think it was faked. According him to the science checks out ! http://www.tested.com/articles/43440-thoughts-on-the-mechani...

OK but where are the batteries that Jamie mentions? I didn't see any in the video or the videos that came before it in the series about how they made it.

Re: Man Supposedly Flies With Custom-Built Bird Wings

#88

Post by angersock »

avree wrote: post #19

Incredibly skeptical. Red flags: 1. He's received criticism about his videos before, but still insists on filming in random parks, only releasing to press after the event, and using blurry/shaky footage. 2. When he takes off, the camera shakes heavily. When he lands, someone steps in front to block the view. 3. At 0:35, his legs lift up so that his body is parallel to the ground (necessary for flight.) If he had been…

Why don't you read his dev blog?

http://www.humanbirdwings.net/project-timeline/

It would seem that arguments about the system instead of the filming might, you know, be more productive.

Re: Man Supposedly Flies With Custom-Built Bird Wings

#89

Post by peeters »

bennyfreshness wrote: post #66

This is absurd (and I can't believe its at the top of hacker news). The article insinuates this is human powered flight. Any realistic attempt at a solely human powered flying machine would utilize leg power, not arms which pale in comparison in terms of power output. Also seems a bit fishy a buzzing sound, much like that of an engine, starts the same time as the wing flapping. Interesting engineering feat but defini…

Where does it "insinuate this is human powered flight"? The article is quite up-front about the fact that human power would fall 95% short and that in reality the arms were only being used as controls, not for power.

Re: Man Supposedly Flies With Custom-Built Bird Wings

#90

Post by angersock »

JoeCortopassi wrote: post #58
katovatzschyn wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The disregard for the physics of the situation is actually quite insulting. The "demonstration" is so far from realistic its not even worth a debunking. Here is an example of what this man is claiming to have done, actually being done, by a team of engineers working for years: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E77j1imdhQ

Great video. Notice the difference in the motion of the wings? So much more fluid and natural than the flat and rigid motion of the video from the Wired article.

It's an entirely different mechanism, hence the difference in movement. Note also that the wings are powered by peddling, whereas the birdman has accelerometer-controlled wings (individually controlled, rather).
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