This invention relates to an airfoil modifying device, a wind turbine blade and a method of modifying an airfoil profile of the wind turbine blade. The airfoil modifying device comprises a deformable element connected to a filler element, both configured to deform between a retracted position and an extended position. The airfoil modifying device is passively deformed by the local air pressure acting on the blade surface and thus the airfoil modifying device.

Wind turbine blade comprising a shape modifiable airfoil section that extends both chordwise and spanwise and has a not modified default shape, a conduit that extends from the inside of the blade towards the outside of the blade, and an outer part comprising a flow regulator that is located at the shape modifiable airfoil section and blocks the conduit when the shape modifiable airfoil section presents its default shape, and does not block the conduit when the shape modifiable airfoil section presents a modified shape. In the latter situation the conduit is opened to the outside of the blade and a device for exchanging a fluid between the inside and the outside of the blade is thus defined.

Wind turbine blade comprising a spar, a plurality of ribs rotatably mounted on said spar, and a rotating means adapted to rotate at least two consecutive ribs independently of each other. The blade can thus be operated so as to rotate at least two consecutive ribs independently of each other, although it is also possible to jointly rotate all the ribs.

A mastless vertical axis wind turbine that comprises a plurality of sails that rotate about a vertical axis under the influence of wind. A platform is connected to and in tension with the plurality of sails at one or more points about the bottom of the plurality of the sails. Also, an external frame is connected to and in tension with the plurality of sails at one or more points about the top of the plurality of the sails. The external frame itself comprises a plurality of legs that converge above the plurality of sails at a central point about the vertical axis of rotation and extend beyond the path swept by the plurality of sails. A coupling mechanism connects one or more of the plurality of legs to the plurality of sails and allows the sails to rotate about the vertical axis of rotation while the legs remain stationary.

An impeller includes a hub and a blade supported by the hub. The impeller has a stored configuration in which the blade is compressed so that its distal end moves towards the hub, and a deployed configuration in which the blade extends away from the hub. The impeller may be part of a pump for pumping fluids, such as blood, and may include a cannula having a proximal portion with a fixed diameter, and a distal portion with an expandable diameter. The impeller may reside in the expandable portion of the cannula. The cannula may have a compressed diameter which allows it to be inserted percutaneously into a patient. Once at a desired location, the expandable portion of the cannula may be expanded and the impeller expanded to the deployed configuration. A flexible drive shaft may extend through the cannula for rotationally driving the impeller within the patient.

The ‘Air Wheel’ rotor is a rotor with blades of variable pitch and variable twist. The ‘Air Wheel’ rotor comprises one or more hubs connected to the closed axisymmetric wing via flexible blades. There is provided a wide range of combinations of the wing relative width and coning angle typical for a lifting rotor with a thin planar wing attached to the tips of long blades, for a shrouded fan in a wide annular wing, or an impeller in a rotating cylindrical wing is provided.

The ‘Air Wheel’ rotor combines and enhances the advantages of a rotor and a wing. The ‘Air Wheel’ rotor has high aerodynamic properties, and eliminates limitations of the rotor size and flight speed. The ‘Air Wheel’ rotor can be used for designing vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

A fan assembly is disclosed that includes one or more fan blades, each fan blade having a flexible airfoil wing. A curved, flexible wing is connected to a main spar element located between the upper and lower portions of the curved, flexible wing element. The curved, flexible wing forms the entire upper surface of the wing, the entire leading edge of the wing, and a portion of the lower surface of the wing.

An apparatus energized by a flowing fluid includes at least one turbine blade having a trailing edge angle and an elastic deformation member connected to the at least one turbine blade. The deformation of the elastic deformation member changes an orientation of a trailing edge angle of the at least one turbine blade.

Wind turbine blade comprising at least one deformable trailing edge section having a plurality of actuators consecutively arranged substantially downstream from one another and a control system for controlling the actuators, wherein a downstream end of one actuator is connected by a substantially rigid link with an upstream end of the next actuator and the plurality of actuators comprises an upper actuator being mounted above a chord line of the blade section and a lower actuator being mounted below a chord line of the blade section. Wind turbines comprising such a blade and methods of controlling loads on a wind turbine blade are also described.

The VEHICLE WITH TRAVELING WAVE THRUST MODULE APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS include force or forces applied to an arc-like flexible sheet-like material to create a deformed crenated strip fin with strained-deformations. The strained-deformations take on a sinusoid-like form that express the internal energy state of the flexible sheet-like material after it has been configured into a crenated strip fin. After being incorporated into a mechanism with couplings that prevent the crenated strip fin from returning to its un-strained state, the strained-deformations persist. Actuators may be used to sequentially rotate vertebrae attached to the fins causing the travel of sinusoid-like deformations along the fins. The fin, fin actuator or actuators, power source and central controller may be incorporated into a thrust module. Two thrust modules couple to each other via roll actuators and flexible coupling members may form a vehicle with exceptional maneuverability.