Website uses physics and graphics to prove video is fake

You may have seen the video above on the internet. It is part of the Human Birdwings project, in which Jarno Smeets, a Dutch mechanical engineer, takes off like a bird, remaining in the air for almost a minute flapping its wings.

The movie generated a lot of discussion, with many claiming it was a frame. It was then that someone decided to take a closer look at the project and determine if the movie is real or not. Wired has asked Rhett Allain, a professor of physics at the University of Southwest Louisiana, to apply his knowledge to prove the accuracy of the images.

Allain performed two different analyzes, one on images and the other applying the laws of physics. Did he come to any conclusions?

Video Analytics

According to the physicist, one way to make a video like this look more authentic is to add motion to the camera. To do this, it would be necessary to create two films - one original and the other with "special effects" - which can then be merged using specific software.

After studying the images from various angles and throwing them into a video analysis program, Allain found that the scenes in the movie were probably captured by more than one person. However, after evaluating various graphs and calculations, the physicist could not see any evidence showing that the video had "special effects."

Also, not to leave much room for doubt, Allain estimated the speed during the flight. Calculating the birdman's trajectory, as well as his approximate weight and height, the teacher concluded that while some actions may be challenging for a human, nothing we see in the video is impossible.

Conclusion: um ... It can be!

Applying the laws of physics

By comparing the wingspan and body weight of the birdman with that of normal birds, Allain came to the conclusion that flight is also possible. The physicist made a series of estimates, calculating what the experiment would look like by using a type of wings similar to those in the video and checking what force would be required for a human to take off.

Conclusion : it is ... It is also possible!

Real or fake?

Rhett Allain, after analyzing the video and performing calculations considering a number of possibilities, could not prove the images to be false. Although it seems a lie, the physicist could not find anything to prove that the project is a frame.

Could the old dream of flying like a bird really come true?