Animals and bio-inspired robots can swim/fly faster near solid surfaces like the seafloor. In the past, researchers had quantified how strong these effects were for two-dimensional airfoils. We studied how …
We developed a model that estimates how thrust and efficiency change as a pitching hydrofoil gets closer to a planar boundary. Our model predicts that the modified forces are caused …
Because of their small size and agility, quadrotors could revolutionize search-and-rescue or terrain-mapping missions. However, to do so, they have to operate in confined spaces such as rubble corridors or …
Fish and birds experience different forces when they swim/fly near a flat surface (e.g. seabed, solid ground, still lake). We discovered that the vertical forces they feel switch from negative …
Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) have the potential to revolutionize search-and-rescue, product delivery, aerial mapping, and weather sensing. Current models for how MAVs interact with solid boundaries are based on helicopters, …
We extended our work on rigid airfoils and discovered that flexible panels also produce more thrust near a solid boundary. This time, we checked swimming speed directly and confirmed that …
Airplanes gliding near the ground experience experience a boost in lift. We discovered that this boost extends to unsteady lift forces, such as those governing thrust production in fish. Fish …