24 November 2008

TSi wins Phase I NASA SBIR to develop morphing air vehicle technology

TSi was awarded a Phase I NASA SBIR contract today to develop an innovative air vehicle flight control system that emulates the flight behavior of birds and insects. Morphing aircraft, particularly unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), have thus received considerable attention in this respect. Aside from safety and aerodynamic efficiency, a single morphing UAV platform could possess the ability to carry out multiple mission objectives. Dr. Curt Kothera and his team at Techno-Sciences, Inc., will develop an innovative morphing control surface system that is capable of in-plane (span extension) reconfiguration, sized and scaled for subsonic fixed-wing UAV platforms. This morphing system will make use of TSi's patented, high performance, lightweight actuators to articulate the shape change, a morphing core to provide structural support, and a flexible skin as a viable aerodynamic surface layer. The Phase I program will end with prototype evaluations of a morphing wing section under representative flight conditions, followed by systems integration with a UAV and flight tests in the Phase II program.