help identify name of air current motion

Awkward question as I want to identify a motion that I know has been tested for being more  efficient for producing motion from wind energy by a researcher here locally some years back.

It is what i would describe as a butterfly motion.  All I can describe is there is an undulating rhythm your hand makes flipping back and forth in a figure eight when you hold it nonrigidly outside against the air current as you drive.

Can anyone identify the name of that motion so I can google it and see where the research may have lead to in respect to capturing wind energy ? I never see anything on it but knew someone was researching it about 20 years ago near the Oceans Sciences Institute near Saanich, BC

Flapping?

Oscillation.

vortex or turbulence?

The trouble with this is that it has to be placed at the exact right angle to the wind. The wind is constantly changing.

It's called figure 8 tracking and is seen in high altitude kite electrical generation. See sites such as

http://www.makanipower.com/

for real world development.

Thank you  mekennedy1313   
Now I will be sleuthing to see if any paddle type applications ever developed into anything workable. 

I am  looking for small efficient micro wind for energy. 

I see that this is old, but I think what you're referring to is a Kármán vortex street.