Is it a bird? Is it a bat? No, it's the future of drone technology

Inspired by bats and birds, the wings of a new type of unmanned Micro Air Vehicle can respond to air currents and change shape during flight

It flies like a bird, it was inspired by a bat and it could in every sense take off: a new British unmanned Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) can skim over the waves, splash down and take off and change wingshape in responses to the forces it encounters.

Drones have been used by the military for years. But scientists based at Imperial College and Southampton University have pioneered a new approach. They are testing a new MAV with better aerodynamic properties, which can fly long distances and will be more economical to run.