Highly agile airborne drones with flexible wings inspired by seagulls could be used for surveillance within the narrow confines of cities.
The US air force has long been interested in 鈥渕orphing wing鈥� aircraft that can change their shape in mid-flight to carry out different tasks, such as rapid dives or slow gliding for loitering over an area under observation.
Now researchers at the University of Florida in Gainesville, led by Rick Lind and funded by the USAF and NASA, have built a prototype remote-controlled drone with a seagull鈥檚 ability to hover, dive and climb rapidly. To achieve this level of agility, seagulls flex their wings at both the shoulder and elbow joints.
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The 24-inch prototype drone uses a small motor to control a series of metal rods that move the wings. One rod connects the fuselage to the mid-point of the wing, while another connects this rod to the wing鈥檚 tip. Actuators at the elbow and shoulder joint of the wing, or where it connects to the fuselage, allow it to flex at both points. With the elbow high 鈥渢he centre of lift鈥� is above the fuselage making the craft highly stable, perfect for gliding and conserving battery power. With the elbow lowered, the craft is less stable but highly manoeuvrable, so it can dive down between tall buildings.
Ultimately, the researchers want to design an autopilot system that could operate the morphing wings for maximum agility, without the need for human intervention. They hope the aircraft could be used to search for chemical or biological agents.
