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Airplanes of the Future Could Be Fitted With Feather-Like Flaps
Research suggests that free-moving panels on aircraft wings can improve stability, reduce turbulence, and add fuel efficiency.
Wissa noticed that previous studies had looked into covert-feather-inspired single flaps and how these contributed to air flow—but birds don’t just have one covert feather, they have multiple rows that interact with each other. “If we want to create aircraft that can fly as efficiently and adaptably in unpredictable conditions, we’ll inevitably need to incorporate aspects of bird flight into next-generation designs,” says Sedky. Even if they don’t make it onto large commercial planes, Wissa says these feather-inspired innovations could be game-changing for small aircraft, which are expected to play a major role in the future of aviation, such as in package delivery or urban air mobility—there are multiple startups trying to develop flying taxi services, for example.
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