3D printed Hermit Ibis

As part of a research project by Joanneum Research, the influence of GPS trackers on the flight behavior of a bald ibis is being investigated. The birds, which have been reintroduced to our country through a reintroduction program, migrate south in winter with the goal of reaching Morocco. To monitor their population and behavior, these birds were equipped with a tracker. However, this tracker is relatively heavy and slowing down the birds, which in some cases made them too exhausted to reach their winter destination. Now, by analyzing the wind current, which results when the tracker is attached, an optimal position and execution of this is developed. For this purpose, Helmut Ropin from the Digital Shopfloor research group at the Institute of Industrial Management in Kapfenberg has produced a model of a bald ibis using additive manufacturing. The digital 3D model was taken from a scanned stuffed bald ibis. The process used was fused filament fabrication, in which a PLA filament was applied layer by layer according to the CAD data. After the bird has been assembled from its individual parts and the surface has been finalized, it is ready for testing in the wind tunnel in Graz.