Addressing Aerodynamic Challenges in Drone Design

Still confused about lift? So is science. A short paper by Holger Babinsky (Cambridge) reminded me how complex — and beautiful — wings really are. If you think wings work because “air goes faster over the top and creates lift,” you’re not alone. It’s the standard classroom story — and it’s wrong. 📄 I recently read a short and very honest guide by Holger Babinsky (from Cambridge’s outreach series) titled “How Wings Work”. And it opens with this brutally honest statement: “There is no single simple explanation of how a wing works.” That hit me hard — and made me realize how much of engineering is about modeling, not magic. Here’s what the article (and modern aerodynamics) actually say: ✅ The “equal transit time” theory is false. NASA disproved it in 2003. Air over the top of the wing doesn’t “catch up” with the air below. It gets there faster. So that logic falls apart. ✅ Bernoulli’s principle isn’t enough. It assumes frictionless, steady flow. Real air is sticky, swirls, separates, and breaks rules. You need Navier–Stokes equations — which, fun fact, have no general solution. ✅ Newton’s third law does apply. Wings push air downward, and the air pushes back upward. The lift is partly due to momentum change, not just pressure. ✅ Vortices matter — a lot. Especially at the wingtips. Small drones (under 1 meter wide) use vortex lift almost entirely. For them, traditional airfoil theory doesn’t work. ✅ Small aircraft don’t follow big-airplane rules. If your wing is under 5 meters and you fly under 100 km/h, you’re in a 3D vortex-driven regime. Classic NACA airfoils? Not optimal anymore. What I loved about Anderson’s short paper is that it respects the complexity. It doesn’t dumb things down. Instead, it says: “Here’s what we do know. And here’s what we don’t.” That kind of honesty is rare — and useful. What this means for students (and future engineers): It’s okay to not have a “perfect answer.” Engineering is about tradeoffs and models. Don’t memorize myths — question them. Lift comes from circulation, momentum change, pressure gradients, and vortex systems. You can’t reduce it to one sentence. Use the tools: CFD, wind tunnels, experiments. Even NASA still does all three. P.S. Want to design better drones or VTOLs? Start by forgetting textbook aerodynamics. Build your own models for small-scale, low-speed, high-vortex flight. Not a prescription or recommendation — just data and perspective. You are responsible for your own decisions. #engineeringstudents #aerodynamics #aircraftdesign #fluiddynamics #cfdsimulation #howwingswork #johnanderson #cambridgeengineering #startuplearning #vtolflight #dronedesign #learningbydoing

We are excited to share our latest work on downwash modeling for drones, published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters! PDF: https://lnkd.in/dd8TEYkH Video: https://lnkd.in/dydmArdf We present a computationally efficient model for estimating the far-field airflow caused by quadrotors in hover and slow flight. This is important as drones are becoming integral to applications from agriculture to public safety, and understanding the aerodynamic disturbances is critical. We show that the combined airflow from quadrotor propellers can be well approximated as a turbulent jet beyond 2.5 drone diameters below the vehicle. Our model relies on classical turbulent jet theory, which removes the need for expensive CFD simulations. We also demonstrate the model's effectiveness in multi-agent scenarios, reducing altitude deviations by 4x when compensating for the downwash of another drone when passing below. Curious? Check out the paper! Reference: "Robotics meets Fluid Dynamics: A Characterization of the Induced Airflow around a Quadrotor" IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2025 PDF: https://lnkd.in/dd8TEYkH Video: https://lnkd.in/dydmArdf Kudos to Leonard Bauersfeld, Koen Muller, Dominic Ziegler, Filippo Coletti! University of Zurich, UZH Innovation Hub, UZH Department of Informatics, European Research Council (ERC), AUTOASSESS, Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich

Golf Ball-Inspired “Smart Skin” Could Revolutionize Drones and Submarines Introduction: Drag Reduction Without Moving Parts Engineers at the University of Michigan have taken a cue from golf balls to create a next-generation propulsion breakthrough for drones and submarines. Their invention—a dimpled, dynamically programmable surface—reduces drag and improves maneuverability without relying on fins, rudders, or rotating components. This bio-inspired advance could transform how we design and operate aerial and aquatic vehicles. Key Features and Technological Innovation: Smart Skin, Smarter Movement • The prototype is a hollow sphere covered in latex, outfitted with programmable dimples that can be turned on or off via a vacuum pump system. • Unlike traditional propulsion systems, this design eliminates the need for external appendages, enabling smoother movement and reduced mechanical complexity. Drag Reduction Inspired by Sports Science • Golf balls travel up to 30% farther than smooth spheres because their dimples reduce pressure drag by disrupting the boundary layer of air. • The same principle applies here: adaptive dimples actively change surface texture, reducing resistance during motion in air or water. Real-Time Testing and Efficiency Gains • In wind tunnel and fluid tank simulations, the dimpled sphere achieved: • 30% drag reduction • Greater range and speed • Enhanced control precision without changing the body’s orientation • The shape and texture can be tailored dynamically in real time, adjusting to changing flow conditions or directional needs. Applications Across Domains • Underwater drones and submarines: Can maneuver stealthily and efficiently without external fins or rudders. • Aerial drones: Improved aerodynamic control without the need for complex propeller or wing systems. • Future vehicles: Could eventually enable shape-shifting structures for spacecraft, surveillance bots, or soft robotics. Why This Matters: Redefining Design Paradigms This innovation could usher in a new class of smooth-bodied, agile vehicles capable of navigating environments with unmatched efficiency. By mimicking nature and sports engineering, the technology removes traditional mechanical limits, leading to: • Lower energy consumption • Reduced maintenance and noise • Greater stealth and versatility Conclusion: The Future of Motion Is in the Skin The University of Michigan’s programmable “smart skin” may mark a paradigm shift in how vehicles move through air and water. Like the golf ball that inspired it, this design promises to go farther, faster, and smarter—without the drag of outdated mechanics. As researchers continue to refine this adaptive technology, the possibilities stretch as far as the eye—and the drone—can see. Keith King https://lnkd.in/gHPvUttw

For the past few weeks I have been working on design, manufacturing and flight testing a blended micro wing with a wingspan of only 50cm and wing loading of 2.2kg/m^2. Considering its small size and very less weight this thing just zips across the field and is quite difficult to control for newbie pilot like me. Though the design is laterally and longitudinally stable. I am still experimenting with different types of propulsion setup to give the most forgiving flight characteristics. How I designed: The challenge with a blended wing configuration is to have a positive coefficient of moment at zero angle of attack, and this cannot be achieved with traditional airfoils. So, I utilized a 5-digit NACA airfoil or reflex airfoil to achieve a positive Cm. However, the chord of the wing was too small to generate any positive Cm at 0 AoA, hence the DAT file of the airfoil was modified to generate a positive Cm. For a wing to be laterally stable without a rudder or vertical tail, winglets at different angles were tested, and a 90-degree winglet gave the most promising result in the Cn vs beta curve. #uav #drones #dronetechnology #design

For any aircraft, a substantial part of the drag can be attributed to the control surfaces on the wings. When the surfaces are deflected, the airfoil shape changes and leads to higher drag. In consequence, the engine requires more power. 00 The research group of Paolo Ermanni at the Composite Materials and Adaptive Structures (CMASLab) has investigated aerodynamically efficient aircraft wings using compliant structures, so called morphing wings, for the last 12 years. In this context, the Master's student Leo Baumann, in collaboration with the ETH spin-off 9T Labs, has investigated the possibility to 3D print lightweight and selectively compliant composite structures. With the supervision of the doctoral students Dominic Keidel and Urban Fasel, the team developed a wing with a continuous skin and a morphing structure, which has highly adaptive and aerodynamically efficient control surfaces reducing the aerodynamic drag. To proof the structural performance of the morphing wing, and to analyse the flight characteristics of the aircraft, the team developed a morphing composite drone. To achieve the desired trade-off between stiffness and compliance, the team used a 3D printer developed by 9T Labs, which enables the manufacturing of parts consisting of both plastics and carbon composites. All structural components of the drone were realized with 3D printing, with the exception of the wing skin and the electronics. #composites #composite #compósitos #compositematerials #materialsengineering #fibers #lightweight #reinforcedplastics

The proposed flying squirrel inspired drone has controllable foldable wings to cover a wider range of flight attitudes and provide more maneuverable flight capability with stable tracking performance. The wings of a drone are fabricated with silicone membranes and sophisticatedly controlled by reinforcement learning based on human-demonstrated data. Such learning based wing control serves to capture even the complex aerodynamics that are often impossible to model mathematically. It is shown through experiment that the proposed flying squirrel drone intentionally induces aerodynamic drag and hence provides the desired additional repulsive force even under saturated mechanical thrust. This work is very meaningful in demonstrating the potential of biomimicry and machine learning for realizing an animal-like agile drone. #github: https://lnkd.in/eNd5vRdD #research #paper: https://lnkd.in/ew6d7vKK #authors: Jun-Gill Kang, Dohyeon Lee, Soohee Han Pohang University of Science and Technology