Airplanes of the Future Could Be Fitted with Feather-Like Flaps
1 min read
Summary
Aimy Wissa and her team at Princeton University have developed an aircraft with flaps inspired by bird feathers to improve stability, in a project that builds on previous studies of covert feathers.
The design could lay the groundwork for using bioinspired designs in commercial aircraft, with the addition of multiple rows of passive flaps enhancing lift capacity by up to 45% and reducing drag by nearly a third.
The inspiration came from recognising that there has been a reduction in such bioinspired innovations in aviation despite advancements in the technology and a better understanding of bird biology.
The focus of the research is on how multiple rows of flaps interact and the underlying physics of their impact on airflow, with the team now planning to conduct further large-scale tests.
While it could be some time before we see such flaps on commercial aircraft, the technology could be game-changing for small aircraft in urban air mobility.
