Airborne drones, mimicking gulls, alter wing shape for agility
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The military’s next generation of airborne
drones won’t be just small and silent – they’ll also dive
between buildings, zoom under overpasses and land on apartment
balconies. Funded by the U.S. Air Force and NASA, UF aerospace
engineers have built prototypes of 6-inch- to 2-foot- drones
capable of squeezing in and out of tight spots in cities — like
tiny urban stunt planes. Their secret: seagull-inspired wings
that “morph,” or change shape, dramatically during flight,
transforming the planes’ stability and agility at the touch of a
button on the operator’s remote control. “If you fly in the
urban canyon, through alleys, around parking garages and between
buildings, you need to do sharp turns, spins and dives,” said
Rick Lind, a UF assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace
engineering who heads the project. “That means you need to
change the shape of the aircraft during flight.” The Air Force’s
Predator Unmanned Aerial Veh