Optimized Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with Wing Morphing for Extended Range and Endurance

Abstract

Due to their current successes, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are becoming a standard means of collecting information. However, as their missions become more complex and require them to fly farther, UAVs can become large and expensive due to fuel needs. Sidestepping the paradigm of a fixed static wing, the variform concept developed in this paper allows for greater fuel efficiency. Bulky wings could morph into sleeker profiles, reducing drag, as they burn fuel. The development of such wings will rely heavily on computational design exploiting state of the art optimization techniques that account for uncertainty and insure reliability.