aviation & aerospace
The aviation and aerospace world have been searching for a morphing wing to optimize flight for decades. NASA and MIT scientists describe the problem best, saying “each of the phases of a flight — takeoff and landing, cruising, maneuvering and so on — has its own, different set of optimal wing parameters, so a conventional wing is necessarily a compromise that is not optimized for any of these, and therefore sacrifices efficiency. A wing that is constantly deformable could provide a much better approximation of the best configuration for each stage.”
Increased range and fuel efficiency
Shorter takeoff
Increased payload
Lighter construction
Eliminates stall, tip stall and adverse yaw
Manmade wings have always been a compromise. A single rigid wing section always has just one optimal range of operation. This means that if we want to take a wing to different speeds, it becomes inefficient or ineffective. Aircraft currently change the shape of their wings with complex mechanics and control surfaces, but what we are proposing is far more organic. Like nature, a wing should be able to flex and change shape to optimize the lift and drag profiles. Our tech allows aerospace engineers to choose any range of reflex sections, and morph between them seamlessly without any joints, hinges or control surfaces.
All this is achievable without any smart alloys or expensive lattice structures, simply the correct flexible shell and mechanism. The first testing of our wings in a wind tunnel in 2015 proved exactly that capability, and we are moving ahead with research partners globally to move the technology forward.
Our own proprietary use of this technology is on a light sport aircraft design that is in development in our labs. Using a single Brayfoil wing system for the main wing and an underslung fuselage, this amphibious light aircraft breaks barriers in the aviation world. With unbeatable carrying capacity, long range and high climb rate, it is set to be the new standard in the category.
This technology can be used on any flying device, particularly UAVs, which have far more variable flightpaths and velocities than other craft. We are pioneering the future of flight, bringing us closer to nature and using it as the inspiration to soar ever higher.