Wing-in-ground effect (WIG) vehicles are disclosed herein. Hovercraft takeoff and landing modes are disclosed herein. Uses of WIG vehicles, including for maritime monitoring, are disclosed herein.

Wing-in-ground effect (WIG) vehicles are disclosed herein. Hovercraft takeoff and landing modes are disclosed herein. Uses of WIG vehicles, including for maritime monitoring, are disclosed herein.

A rigid-flexible coupled unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) morphing wing and an additive manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. A shape memory alloy (SMA) strip/wire for controlling the wing upward deformation and an SMA strip/wire for controlling the wing downward deformation are arranged alternately, and a plurality of reinforcing ribs are arranged at intervals on the SMA strips/wires for controlling the wing upward deformation and the SMA strips/wires for controlling the wing downward deformation. The SMA strips/wires for controlling the wing upward deformation and the SMA strips/wires for controlling the wing downward deformation are arranged on a flexible substrate, and are wrapped with an insulating covering. The SMA strips/wires for controlling the wing upward deformation and the SMA strips/wires for controlling the wing downward deformation each are provided with an electric heating element.

A rigid-flexible coupled unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) morphing wing and an additive manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. A shape memory alloy (SMA) strip/wire for controlling the wing upward deformation and an SMA strip/wire for controlling the wing downward deformation are arranged alternately, and a plurality of reinforcing ribs are arranged at intervals on the SMA strips/wires for controlling the wing upward deformation and the SMA strips/wires for controlling the wing downward deformation. The SMA strips/wires for controlling the wing upward deformation and the SMA strips/wires for controlling the wing downward deformation are arranged on a flexible substrate, and are wrapped with an insulating covering. The SMA strips/wires for controlling the wing upward deformation and the SMA strips/wires for controlling the wing downward deformation each are provided with an electric heating element.

An aircraft airfoil having a wave assembly. The airfoil may include a leading edge, a trailing edge position opposite the leading edge, a pressure side extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and a suction side extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge. The suction side may be positioned opposite the pressure side. The airfoil may also include a wave assembly positioned on the suction side of the body. The wave assembly may include at least one leading edge flexural actuator positioned adjacent the leading edge of the body. The wave assembly may also include a flexible member having a first end portion affixed to the at least one leading edge flexural actuator, and a second end portion positioned opposite the first end portion, and adjacent the trailing edge of the body.

A method of designing a morphable aerodynamic surface includes discretizing and parameterizing a model of a morphable surface to create a function to optimize; utilizing finite element analysis to solve for displacements and associated errors at an initialization point; and iteratively calculating a gradient cost function, define step size and search direction, step according to defined step size and search direction, and recalculate displacements and associated errors to converge on final thickness vector.

A method for realizing a vertical take-off and landing aircraft that does not use a mechanism dedicated for take-off and landing, which cannot be achieved on the basis of an existing concept of aircraft flight control, by introducing a new concept of a shoulder rotational axis and an arm rotational axis into aircraft flight control and controlling vertical take-off and landing and ordinary flight with the same mechanism. This instruction eliminates a necessity of a tail and ailerons from an airframe of the aircraft, enables reduction of manufacturing, maintenance, and running costs thereof, and makes it possible to avoid problems of maneuverability and cruising distance performance of airframes of vertical take-off and landing aircrafts.

A method for realizing a vertical take-off and landing aircraft that does not use a mechanism dedicated for take-off and landing, which cannot be achieved on the basis of an existing concept of aircraft flight control, by introducing a new concept of a shoulder rotational axis and an arm rotational axis into aircraft flight control and controlling vertical take-off and landing and ordinary flight with the same mechanism. This instruction eliminates a necessity of a tail and ailerons from an airframe of the aircraft, enables reduction of manufacturing, maintenance, and running costs thereof, and makes it possible to avoid problems of maneuverability and cruising distance performance of airframes of vertical take-off and landing aircrafts.

A flexible pillar for a variable geometry flight control surface including upper skin and lower skins includes an elongate shape elastic element having an and at least a first end and a second end. The flexible pillar can be disposed between the upper skin and the lower skin so the elastic element can be fixed to the upper skin at the first end of the flexible pillar and fixed to the lower skin at the second end of the flexible pillar. The flexible pillar has a rigidity along the longitudinal axis of the flexible pillar that is greater than a rigidity of the flexible pillar in shear along a transverse axis of the flexible pillar, the flexible pillar making it possible to obtain a support having a longitudinal direction and able to transmit forces between its ends without, or with little, deformation longitudinally and to be easily deformed in a transverse direction.

An aircraft capable of carrying at least 400 pounds of payload, has four rotors systems, each of the rotor systems being independently driven by an electric motor or other torque-producing source. Each of the rotor systems provide sufficient thrust such that the aircraft is capable of controlled vertical takeoff and landing, even if one of the variable pitch rotor is inoperable. An electronic control system is configured to control the rotational speed and pitch of at least one of the rotor systems in each of the first and second rotor pairs. The rotors may be arranged in coaxial stacks or maybe otherwise configured.