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Pneumatically Driven Morphing Skin system for UAVs

9 June 2006 - Techno-Sciences, Inc. (TSi), in collaboration with the Smart Structures Laboratory of the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center at the University of Maryland (UMD) was awarded a Phase I STTR award on 9 June 2006 by the United States Air Force to develop an innovative mechanized skin technology for large-scale area changes in morphing Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs). The pneumatically driven morphing skin (PDMS) system will exploit superior performance characteristics of McKibben actuators, in conjunction with a new deformable and passive material, compliant matrix composite (CMC), to produce a morphing system capable of large, sustainable deformations. This proposed device efficiently marries a novel skin material with a high force and high stroke pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) to establish a foundation for mechanized skins for morphing aircraft structures.

The mechanized skin technology developed in this Phase I STTR effort will be applicable to a wide range of end-users in the Defense, commercial, and industrial sectors. Producing a reliable shape changing framework is particularly attractive for high-performance UAVs, missile systems, robotics, protective suits, reconfigurable dwellings, prosthetics, and other applications where the large area change of a surface is a primary requirement.