Improving the propulsion speed of a heaving wing through artificial evolution of shape.

ABSTRACT: Aeronautical studies have shown that subtle changes in aerofoil shape substantially alter aerodynamic forces during fixed-wing flight. The link between shape and performance for flapping locomotion involves distinct mechanisms associated with the complex flows and unsteady motions of an air- or hydro-foil. Here, we use an evolutionary scheme to modify the cross-sectional shape and iteratively improve the speed of three-dimensional printed heaving foils in forward flight. In this algorithmic-experimental method, 'genes' are mathematical parameters that define the shape, 'breeding' is the combination of genes from parent wings to form a daughter, and a wing's measured speed is its 'fitness' that dictates its likelihood of breeding. Repeated over many generations, this process automatically d

SUBMITTER: Ramananarivo S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6364609 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature