Are Shape-Changing Wings the Future of Aviation?

It’s not a complete reinvention of the aircraft wing, but it comes close. NASA researchers partnered with the Air Force Research Laboratory and Ann Arbor, Michigan private tech firm FlexSys, Inc. on an innovative project. This team has proved once more that small changes to aircraft design can make big changes in fuel efficiency.

According to NASA, the new wing will save millions of dollars in fuel costs every year. The plane wing can change shape in flight with a flexible edge that moves with more finesse than the traditional hinged flaps. Essentially, the flexible wing is designed to operate a full range of positions during flight, similar to the flight of a bird.

A conventional wing design includes a number of mechanical parts: slats, air brakes, ailerons, and other parts add weight and drag. In many instances, that drag is one contributing reason a plane’s speed is slowed as it lands. The new, flexible edge of this wing design still allows for the flaps to angle down to increase the size of the wing and drag, but the mechanics inside the aircraft pull to contort the wing’s surface instead, promising a more aerodynamic effect and greater fuel savings.

The Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge wing design (otherwise known as ‘sharklet’) installed on some Airbus planes, for example, can save up to 4% in fuel. In addition to improving aerodynamic efficiency, it significantly reduces the noise generated during takeoff and landings — a change certain to be joyfully welcomed around the globe.

What’s next? NASA is reportedly working on next generation aircraft tail designs with the same intention of delivering fast improvements with relatively small design shifts. Aviation is once again proving they lead the pack in environmentally conscious design, and years of research and innovation are finally starting to pay off.