The ornithoid mechanism started out as a Mother's Day present. It is a bird-like flapping mechanism meant to be a desk piece. It is largely 3D printed.

There have been two design revisions so far.

This design was almost completely 3D printed with press fit connection points for the bearings and motor.

I was not happy with the stability of the press fit joints over time. It did work reliably, but risked popping the joints out of place with rough handling. I added heat set inserts and fasteners to lock all of the joints together. I also made some aesthetic changes to the design.