BIRDIE
Not your run-of-the-mill shuttlecock. Get your head out of the gutter! I'm talking badminton, here. A shuttlecock, sometimes called a birdie, is a high-drag projectile in badminton. It has an open conical shape: the cone is formed from sixteen overlapping feathers, usually goose or duck, embedded into a rounded cork base. The cork is covered with thin leather. The shuttlecock's shape makes it exceptionally aerodynamically stable. Regardless of initial orientation, it will turn to flycork first and remain in the cork-first orientation. My design concept employs certain aerodynamics and balance inspired by the birdie.
2010
