Vehicles, Equipment, and Performance

Aerodynamics

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Briefs: Data Acquisition
Researchers have achieved data rates as high as 424Gbit/s across a 53-km turbulent free-space optical link using plasmonic modulators — devices that uses special light waves called surface plasmon polaritons to control and change optical signals. The new research lays the groundwork for high-speed optical communication links that transmit data over open air or space. Read on to learn more.
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Q&A: Unmanned Systems
Professor Animashree (Anima) Anandkumar and her team at The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a control strategy for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that uses reinforcement learning to adaptively learn how turbulent wind can change over time and then uses that knowledge to control the UAV based on what it is experiencing.
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Briefs: Aerospace
NASA’s Ames Research Center has developed a novel closed-form solution to model wing flutter aerodynamics for any aircraft wing (within a certain thickness regime and without camber). This closed-form solution can be readily extended to wing sections with camber.
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Researchers have outlined a new optical communication protocol that exploits spatial patterns of light for multi-dimensional encoding in a manner that does not require the patterns to be recognized, thus overcoming the prior limitation of modal distortion in noisy channels.
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Briefs: Manned Systems
Researchers have designed an electrode-based system for guidance, navigation, and control of aircraft or spacecraft moving at hypersonic speeds in ionizing atmospheres.
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Briefs: Motion Control
Ornithological animals have always benefited from folding their wings during upstroke. So, a Swedish-Swiss research team has constructed a robotic wing that can flap like a bird.
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Briefs: Aerospace
Following nature's example, Lufthansa Technik and BASF have jointly developed the functional surface film AeroSHARK for commercial aircraft.
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Articles: Data Acquisition
Unprecedented and unrelenting market turbulence has shown that the old ways of supply chain planning and manufacturing production are outdated and vulnerable to disruption.
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Briefs: Transportation
This simple, elegant invention can control flow separation resulting from the high flap deflections required by simple-hinged flap systems making such flaps a viable option for aircraft designers.
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Briefs: Aerospace
Acoustic optimization for anti-phase asymmetric rotor.
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Briefs: Design
Gust load alleviation is an increasing concern for the design of fixed-wing aircraft with ultra-high aspect wings.
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Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that innovation.
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Briefs: Aerospace
The new algorithm could enable fast, nimble drones for time-critical operations such as search and rescue.
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NASA Spinoff: Aerospace
A NASA microphone that detects unseen air turbulence is lofted to high heights aboard a stratospheric glider.
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Early flutter detection will help in the development of safer and more eco-friendly aircraft turbines.
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Briefs: Test & Measurement
The system uses infrasonic acoustics for weather monitoring and for drone or UAV activity.
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Briefs: Aerospace
Injection of air at the trailing edge of a winglet further reduces drag.
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Briefs: Data Acquisition
This model can be used to design better aircraft without having to wait months for supercomputer calculations.
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Briefs: Unmanned Systems
The algorithms enable drones to quickly switch between hover and forward flight.
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Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics
Taking a cue from birds and insects, the wing design helps drones fly more efficiently and makes them more robust to atmospheric turbulence.
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Briefs: Power
This diffuser provides double the pumping efficiency in one-quarter the space.
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Briefs: Aerospace
This trailing edge flap device reduces noise without compromising cruise efficiency or landing lift and stall characteristics.
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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
These actuators provide active flow control for airfoil surfaces and supersonic inlets of wing-borne vehicles.
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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
This framework can be used by commercial and military aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.
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Briefs: Test & Measurement
A new method of estimating the optimal trailing aircraft position in a formation increases fuel savings.
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Briefs: Imaging
This retractable de-orbit device facilitates targeted re-entry, attitude and orbital control, and collision avoidance.
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Stronger and flexible, polyimide aerogels provide insulation and structural support.
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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Flying animals both power and control flight by flapping their wings. This enables small natural flyers such as insects to hover close to a flower but also to rapidly escape danger. Animal flight has...
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Briefs: AR/AI
Neural Lander Uses AI to Land Drones Smoothly
Landing multi-rotor drones smoothly is difficult. Complex turbulence is created by the airflow from each rotor bouncing off the ground during a descent. This turbulence is not well understood nor is it easy to compensate for, particularly for autonomous drones. That is why takeoff and landing are often...

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