Airplane wings that flap. Or have saw-toothed edges. Or have surfaces that ripple. These features might seem out of reach for aircraft. Yet, many animals, like owls and dolphins, use such traits to move. (No, dolphins don't fly. But both air and water are fluids, or substances that flow. So, physics-wise, sharks and swifts are similar.)
From the beginning of aviation, animals influenced aircraft design. Even today, critters' amazing traits help them outperform most planes. Check out some animal-inspired innovations you may see on airplanes one day.
Flapping Forward
Most airplane wings are stiff, with hinged flaps that move. These flaps change the amount of upward force, or lift, that the wings experience. Unfortunately, they also increase drag-a backwards-acting force-and make movement clunky.
Bird wings, in contrast, are better and smoother liftcontrollers. Engineers are borrowing from them to make wings that flex in any direction. Nick Cramer helped develop such a wing. He's now an engineer at Supernal, an aviation company in Sunnyvale, California. The wing his team developed has three features similar to the bones, cartilage, and feathers of bird wings. "The last feature is a rod that runs down the wing's center and twists the wing," he says. "This is similar to what birds use when coasting on the wind."
Even cooler are wing-parts built with shape memory alloys. These materials "remember" different shapes at different temperatures. They can change shape without electricity or mechanical hinges. Imagine a wing that flaps on its own!
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A Mars Rock Found With Leopard Spots Could Be a Sign of Ancient Life
IN JULY, NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER CAME ACROSS A SPOTTED ROCK IN WHAT WAS ONCE A RIVERBED IN THE JEZERO CRATER ON MARS.
Para Athlete Uses Exoskeleton Suit to Carry the Olympic Torch
In July, a 36-year-old French tennis para athlete, Kevin Piette, got a chance to participate in this summer’s Olympic torch relay without using a wheelchair.
Ancient Egyptians May Have Used a Water System to Lift Stones to Build Pyramid
HOW ANCIENT EGYPTIANS BUILT THE MASSIVE PYRAMIDS IN EGYPT MORE THAN 4,000 YEARS AGO HAS LONG BEEN A TOPIC OF WONDER AND DEBATE.
Seals Can Make Big Dives Thanks to Their Big Hearts
SEALS AND SEA LIONS, WHICH ARE SEMI-AQUATIC MAMMALS, CAN HOLD THEIR BREATHS UNDERWATER FOR ESPECIALLY LONG PERIODS OF TIME.
THE BIG-CITY LIFE OF STEVEN J.BIKE SHOP RABBIT IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
Bicycle Roots is a full-service bike shop. It's in the heart of Brooklyn, New York. Joe Lawler is the co-owner and service manager. Perhaps more important, he's \"dad\" to the shop's most popular employee. That's Steven J. Lawler.
Wild Ones
WHAT FACTORS DRIVE PEOPLE TO BUY MONKEYS, TIGERS, AND OTHER WILD ANIMALS?
HOW TO CONQUER THE WORLD
A brief history
What would happen if meteors hit Earth?
You may have seen Ameteors fly into Earth's atmosphere, in the form of shooting stars.
WORKING WORMS
DON'T JUST THROW THOSE TABLE SCRAPS AWAY! LET A BOX OF WORMS TURN THEM INTO SOMETHING USEFUL.
Dog Rescue Saves Lives
THE ARGUMENT FOR ADOPTING A NO-KILL GOAL