Until recently, most research into aerodynamics was focused on the proverbial birds and the bees (bugs in this case). However, if Brown University">Kenneth Breuer and Sharon Swartz's study proves fruitful, we may soon be taking flying lessons from something more mammalian - bats.

An engineering professor at Brown University, Breuer explained bats were the focus of the study due to the high flexibility their wings showed in flight as compared to birds and insects.

In connection with this, Swartz, associate professor in ecology and evolutionary biology, further explained how bats were assumed to have spun off from more common trends of gliding mammals such as flying squirrels. But compared to the relatively simple construct of skin flaps, the complex array of bones, joints and skin structure that bats use for flight hint that they may have spun off from a completely different evolutionary track.

The study proper involved tracking live bats using a combination of synchronized video, laser imaging systems, and motion capture technology. The team paid special attention to the way the bat's bones, skin, and joints behaved, as well as the way air-flow interacted with them mid-flight.

The results showed several intriguing characteristics not previously known. For one, the bat's flexible joints allowed for 180-degree turns in a space less than half their wingspan. Secondly, the same flexible joints also allowed for better lift characteristics and energy usage as compared to birds.

And while the study still requires more time to draw up solid conclusions, Swartz and Breuer felt the study showed great potential in the way of new aircraft designs. Full details to the study can found the journal "Bioinspiration and Biomimetics", with credit going to The Air Force Office of Scientific Research for sponsoring the research. Bruce Wayne was unavailable for comment regarding the results of this study.