Feasibility of using electric drone main rotors for electricity generation vs. solar panels for indefinite flight

An idea was proposed to allow an autonomous drone to have indefinite flight times over the ocean by applying renewable energy technologies and theory to generate electricity in flight. This is considered less as a way to save energy, but to permit the use of such a drone from a ship not capable of safely retrieving it. One novel component of...

Phase Cancellation and Range Extension in Backscatter Networks

Progress has been made recently in the research of equal hierarchy backscatter communications. There are, however, challenges to overcome before this technology can become mainstream. For example, state-of-the-art solutions to the phase cancellation problem that occurs in such networks are still trivial and sub-optimal, especially in terms of...

Impact of Morphing Winglets on Aircraft Performance

Morphing winglets are devices that can improve aircraft aerodynamic efficiency and also be used as load alleviation devices. However, this implementation comes with a weight penalty due to the morphing mechanisms. In the present study two morphing winglet cases are tested, where due to mechanisms compatibilities, only a variable Cant-Span...