The research group of Professor Richard Bomphrey and Professor Jim Usherwood, from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in London, has successfully used LaVision’s Helium-filled Soap Bubble (HFSB) generator and LED illumination to gain new insights regarding the aerodynamics of bird flight.

Using the large-scale nature of LaVision’s HFSB seeding together with the eye-safe LED volumetric illumination and high-speed imaging, the researchers at RVC could visualize the aerodynamic footprint of various birds of prey (hawks and owls).

Quantitative analysis using our state-of-the-art Shake-the-Box (STB) processing algorithms allowed the researchers to draw valuable conclusions from the 4D particle tracks, including a detailed view on the unexpected behavior of the tail feathers of the birds.

A presentation of the results can be found in this video.