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Robotics Technology

Shape Changing Plane In Development 212

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the making-toys-a-career dept.
Eh-Wire writes "The University of Florida has a short article on the "morphing wing" drone they are developing for a small aircraft that can swoop through parking garages, dive into alleys and land on balconies. Close-up video of seagulls in flight was the inspiration for the design of the drone. A still image of the drone shows an aircraft that looks surprisingly gull-like. A video shows the "wing morphing" in action on a static mounted drone. There is also a link to quite a few more videos in the article but it's not real obvious. Some guys get all the phun jobs!"
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Shape Changing Plane In Development More

Shape Changing Plane In Development

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  • So how long... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Drooling Iguana ( 61479 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:15PM (#13391114)
    So how long until they make one that can change into a giant robot?

  • The wing shape isn't new... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Assmasher ( 456699 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:16PM (#13391116) Journal
    MAW (Mission Adaptive Wing) designs have been tested since the sixties at least (probably earlier.) Still cool though.

  • Look! Up in the sky! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Prospero's Grue ( 876407 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:16PM (#13391117)
    It's a bird!

    It's a plane!

    ...

    What the heck is that thing?

  • Looks more like a certain Italian Renaissance (Score:5, Interesting)

    by WillAffleckUW ( 858324 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:17PM (#13391125) Homepage Journal
    inventor's design than it does the Wright Brothers designs.

    But probably because he based his design on actual seagulls and terns as well.

    I for one, welcome our new privacy-impaired overlords.

  • sooo... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Tepshen ( 851674 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:17PM (#13391131)
    Wonder plane powers activate! Form of .... a slightly different plane!

  • Meh... (Score:3, Funny)

    by GypC ( 7592 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:17PM (#13391135) Homepage Journal
    ... why not just use seagulls with lasers on their heads?

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:17PM (#13391136)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • So, the Wright brothers were right after all?

  • TA (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Reminds me of the VTOL aircraft in the RTS Total Annihilation. These could even "tuck in" their wings as they landed, and as they tookoff, they would hover upwards while opening their wings.

    Seemed like a pretty cool-looking idea anyway :)

  • Thopters (Score:2, Funny)

    by woozlewuzzle ( 532172 )
    Someone's been reading too much Frank Herbert.

    Assuming there is such a thing as too much Frank Herbert.

  • Police usage (Score:2, Interesting)

    by rob_squared ( 821479 )
    This might be an interesting thing to avoid expensive helicoptor chases on freeways or on foot persuit in city areas.
    • Or at the very least, a replacement for the TV news choppers that put police choppers in danger. I have heard from many police chopper pilots complain about how many near misses are caused by TV news choppers trying to get "the shot."

  • Thankfully cows don't fly... (Score:5, Funny)

    by mopslik ( 688435 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:19PM (#13391156)
    ... seagulls in flight was the inspiration for the design of the drone.

    So, when flying over crowds of people, does this new plane drop its cargo every so often?

  • I see shape-changing planes on TV all the time (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:20PM (#13391167)
    What's the big deal? I see footage of planes changing shape on those "historic aviation" shows on the Discovery Channel all the time.

    The planes tend to change shape in a spectacular fashion when something goes wrong and the ground intersects the plane's flight path.

  • Seagull? (Score:4, Funny)

    by Red Flayer ( 890720 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:21PM (#13391176) Journal
    Oh, great, get a few of these and we have a whole robotic Flock of Seagulls.

    Talk about modern warfare, it's a whole new wave of drones.

  • Coralized link to Mpeg (Score:5, Informative)

    by Guano_Jim ( 157555 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:23PM (#13391202)
    Here's the video [nyud.net]

    Coralized, so hopefully people will be able to view it.

    I'm not sure if the file goes over Coral's size limit.

  • full mirrors available of videos (Score:4, Informative)

    by winkydink ( 650484 ) * <sv.dude@gmail.com> on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:24PM (#13391218) Homepage Journal
    Here [networkmirror.com].

    A plane that flaps its wings. Hunh.

  • Bird-like wing design (Score:2, Interesting)

    by RamboIII ( 899894 )
    I have to wonder about the usefulness of this. I know a lot of folks that fly small radio controled planes. These planes are very much able to fly in between buildings, swoop down under over-passes, and all the things mentioned in TFA.

    The Air Force and NASA have so far provided about $3 million for the UF research, a substantial portion of which is aimed at addressing that issue by making the planes easier to fly.

    I wonder why they would need to spend that much money on this "new" idea".

    The bird-like

  • If the enemy gets morphing plans, a morphing car may be the ONLY chance we have of stopping them!

    CURSE YOU, DECEPTICONS!

  • Seagulls, eh? (Score:3, Funny)

    by dlefavor ( 725930 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:36PM (#13391331)
    Jonathan Livingston Drone just doesn't have the right mix of romance, awe, dread, and reverence if you ask me.

  • Evolution (Score:4, Insightful)

    by meditation_dude ( 907877 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:37PM (#13391350) Homepage
    It's surprising that we don't copy nature more often. I mean, animals in existence today have had millions of years or more to adapt, producing incredibly elegant solutions to problems. Of course, reverse engineering these adaptations is difficult, because there's no manual, and no real designer to interrogate.
    • not lack of access to a designer. Where do you find a material with the compressive strength of bone and low density? How do you replace the tensional strength and flexiblity of muscle?
      If I had any of that $h17 I could build some HELLACIOUS ROBOTS and conquer...ummm, spread democracy throughout the world.
      • Where do you find a material with the compressive strength of bone and low density? How do you replace the tensional strength and flexiblity of muscle?

        Ahahahahaha! Well, what you do is you clone off some really gigantic humanoid things and you coat them in metallic armour to (a) keep their full power restrained and under control and (b) give everyone the impression that they're actually just robots. Then you wire into their nervous systems, set up some kind of neural interface, synchronise a suitably mess

  • This is exciting. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by keilinw ( 663210 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:39PM (#13391363) Homepage Journal
    Looking at the differences between a bird and an airplane one can see obvious benefits of each. What conventional aeronautics have not been able to acomplish is the agility and dexterity with wich birds can manuvere in flight. Birds also have an incredible ability to fly at slow speeds and even recover from dangerous situations. All of these qualities are what we NEED in our future aeronautical designs.

    As a Private Pilot I was getting excited by the prospect of the Mohler Flying Car, or even one of those (relatively) cheap DIY helicopters. But there was always something in the back of my mind that said that aircraft NEED to be more like birds.

    Admittedly, the technology ISN'T as impressive as one would imagine. BUT, I applaud any attempt at changing the way things are done. In fact, I read an article yesterday that claimed that Japan is doing experiementation with a supersonic (Concorde-like) aircraft! Lets see what the future holds: flying cars, supersonic flight for everyone, personal helicopters, more agile designs, deployable parachutes, better computer assisted flight (from GPS, ALS, to auto performance enhancements).....

    Its about time someone in the field of aeronautics changed things....things have remained the same for WAY TOO LONG.

    WHY IS IT THAT A 1940's ERA war plane can KICK my Cessna's Butt????????? THIS DOES NOT SEEM LIKE PROGRESS.
    • WHY IS IT THAT A 1940's ERA war plane can KICK my Cessna's Butt????????? THIS DOES NOT SEEM LIKE PROGRESS.

      Just like I would not need the equivalent of a Hummer to drive back and forth to work, that's probably why. But I'm also betting that if you had enough money to spend, you could purchase a plane that handles better than a 1940's era war plane. Just like if I had a million dollars, I could consider buying a Hummer. Not that I would, even having a million dollars....

    • Re:This is exciting. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by YrWrstNtmr ( 564987 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:59PM (#13391547)
      WHY IS IT THAT A 1940's ERA war plane can KICK my Cessna's Butt????????? THIS DOES NOT SEEM LIKE PROGRESS.

      For the same reason that a 1950 F1 car can kick a 2005 Geo's ass.
      The Geo and the Cessna do win on reliability, comfort, and price, though.

    • WHY IS IT THAT A 1940's ERA war plane can KICK my Cessna's Butt?

      It may have something to do with the 4 machine guns [schoolnet.co.uk], but I'm no expert. Since your Cessna likely spends more time on the ground than in the air, the 1/2 ton of bombs may also be a factor.

      -Adam
    • ...: flying cars...
      Why is everyone always crying about their missing flying cars?
      With the way most people drive I don't want flying cars overhead. Now you just have to be careful when crossing a street. With flying cars, you have to be careful above ground.

    • Re:This is exciting. (Score:4, Funny)

      by Peldor ( 639336 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @03:58PM (#13392055)
      WHY IS IT THAT A 1940's ERA war plane can KICK my Cessna's Butt?????????

      I know I'm just guessing here, but it's probably because you don't have 6 50-caliber machine guns mounted on your Cessna.

  • complete seagull transformation (Score:4, Funny)

    by logandr ( 521767 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:42PM (#13391397)
    oh great - so now we'll have robot gulls fighting over french fries in the McDonalds dumpsters. Of course as robots they'll be able to rip the sides right off the dumpsters...

  • Oblique All Wing (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Baldrson ( 78598 ) * on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:43PM (#13391408) Homepage Journal
    My favorite variable geometry aerodynamic structure is R. T. Jones' oblique all wing [hiller.org] (PDF warning). Its basically just a highly eccentric elipse that flies. At 0 its angle of attack is 0. At Mach 1.6 its angle of attack is 60 degrees. As an SST topping out at Mach 1.6 it can achieve per-passenger fuel economy similar to a subsonic jumbo jet.
    • Wasn't there a plane that could do that with just its wing? It still had a normal plane fuselage, but the wing would rotate to achieve better geometry for different flight modes. Maybe it was just a prototype though, I can't remember where I saw the info.

      -Jesse

  • Wait a minute! (Score:4, Funny)

    by Conspiracy_Of_Doves ( 236787 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:44PM (#13391413)
    This thing has hinges on its wings! What a gyp! Screw that, that isn't morphing. I want a plane where the wings are made of a single peice of some kind of high-tech polymer that changes shape when electricity is applied to it.

    • Re:Wait a minute! (Score:3, Informative)

      by slashdot.org ( 321932 )
      I want a plane where the wings are made of a single peice of some kind of high-tech polymer that changes shape when electricity is applied to it.

      Like Muscle Wires [mondo.com], or another form of shape memory alloys.

      Don't know why you got modded funny, because it doesn't seem like a crazy concept to me at all.
    • Mod parent informative, not funny! I agree, this is little more than hinged wings, and (in the demo at least) doesn't seem to give much difference in the way of shortened wingspan... Even the F-4 fighter had hinged wings to allow it to be neatly parked in an aircraft carrier. Though it didn't hinge in flight.
  • I'm sure this is more advanced, but I actually have an RC Orinthopter on order that I got for like $55, should be here in a week or so - it flys by flapping it's wings and has a twisty tail for a rudder.

    Not sure if I can use it to collect spice yet or not!
  • The most important question though is...

    Can they buzz Ben Hill Griffen stadium during a game and not get arrested, their grant money taken away, or forced to park out here by SFCC and walk to class?

  • Also... (Score:4, Funny)

    by macthulhu ( 603399 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @02:55PM (#13391518)
    It looks like they also designed a web server that can "morph" into a molten slag heap...

  • Easy to defeat. (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Just throw some alka seltzer on the ground.

  • What, so they aren't two-dimensional any more? I just can't keep up with this "new math."

  • Ups and Downs (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Ancient_Hacker ( 751168 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @03:06PM (#13391609)
    Wing-morphing on real airplanes is usually done thru the auspices of flaps, droops and leading-edge slats. These are the sucessful morphing methods, as seen on almost every high-performance airplane.

    If they're particularly adventurous, the designers will do ti by making the wing sweep angle changeable, like in the F-111, F-14 and B-1. Hmmm, two dogs out of three....

    It hasnt been done the way this video depicts in real planes as there's a lot of costs:

    • Making the wing hinged or flexible means you need a whole heapin helping of actuators to keep it in position. Actuators are made of steel-- very heavy. if it's a fighter plane, the actuators have to be able to hold the wing in position under multiple-G loads. But that requires heavier actuators, which increase the loads...
    • Actuators are usually hydraulically powered. Not good in a military airplane which often loses hydraulics due to flak and bullets.
    • Hinged or flexible wings usually can't be hollowed out to hold fuel, landing gear, or munitons. Which makes the rest of the plane bigger in proportion to hold those items.
    So you end up with a plane that's big, heavy, unreliable all the time, versus having the flexible wing, which only helps in some flight regimes, some of the time. Generally the good doesnt outweigh the bad.

  • Sparrows (Score:3, Insightful)

    by minairia ( 608427 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @03:21PM (#13391736)
    So, after millions of dollars and with the combined power of multiple PhDs, aeronautical engineers have successfully invented ... a bird.

    Seriously, it really is amazing to go the beach and see a small sparrow and realize that the tiny bird flies better, is more maneuverable, more energy efficient, has better sensors, better object avoidance and has better AI than the best blue-sky, black budget skunk works project out of Area 51.

    It is humbling to think how far we far to go to even come close to what evolution has randomly created.

  • Awesome (Score:2, Funny)

    by milimetric ( 840694 )
    wow, that was the coolest video ever. Up to this point, I've only seen virtuoso pilots at air shows make those kinds of manuevers with their airplanes. I think this design, new or not, gives these mini planes a LOT of flexibility and could enable such applications as:

    - spying on your next door neighbor while she's getting undressed
    - spying on your neighbor across the street while she is getting undressed
    - spying on your wife while she is getting undressed but not letting you watch because you got caught d

  • As a nearly-certified pilot... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by agraupe ( 769778 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @03:49PM (#13391970) Journal
    I'm excited that I one day might get to fly planes of this nature. Greater versatility is always a helpful thing, even if airports are still required. I do not, however, support the idea that the public at large should have access to vehicles of this sort. That is to say, there should be no change to current certification processes, with all the inherent restrictions therein. This would be far too dangerous, because flying is a very complex thing.

    (Note: by nearly-certified, I mean that I am about 10 flight hours and a flight test away from being a certified private pilot)

  • They should make one where... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @07:45PM (#13393606)
    They should make one where you have this regular-looking set of wings, and when you go into attack mode, these wings, or "foils," open up and take on the appearance of a large "X" when seen from the front or back.

    And I want to mount four of our new laser cannon on it. It should also be able to launch some photon torpedoes. And have a maintenance droid along for the ride.

  • The real question is... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by theguyfromsaturn ( 802938 ) on Wednesday August 24, 2005 @08:21PM (#13393819)
    Is this the natural evolution of the airplane, or is it a case of intelligent design?

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