Latest Lift Stories

BETHPAGE, N.Y., March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Long Island Forum for Technology (LIFT), a non-profit economic development organization for technology-driven growth, today announced the unveiling of The Morrelly Homeland Security Center, a first of its kind public-private partnership project that will provide local government and first responders with a state-of-the-art facility to accelerate local innovation and act as a control center in the event of a regional crisis. Research partners in...

In a paper appearing in the Feb. 24 issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A, Virginia Tech Engineering Science and Mechanics Professor Hassan Aref, and his colleague Johan Roenby at the Technical University of Denmark shed new light on the chaotic motion of a solid body moving through a fluid. They claim to have discovered two basic mechanisms that lead to chaotic motion of the body as it interacts with its vortex wake. The work may lead to better understanding and control...

For some years, the Wind Energy Division at Risø DTU has been working to develop a method for controlling the loads on large wind turbine blades using a flexible trailing edge made of an elastic material which can be controlled by means of compressed air or hydraulics. Now, the invention, which has been called CRTEF (Controllable Rubber Trailing Edge Flap), has been tested in a wind tunnel with promising results.Today's wind turbine blades, which can measure more than 60 meters in length,...

HOUSTON, Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- HELI-EXPO 2010, February 21-23. Booth: 417 -- In a continuing effort to remain at the forefront of the industry and lead innovation, Erickson Air-Crane (EAC) today announced three major program initiatives that are currently underway: a composite blade program, vacuum lift technology and water usage tracking system. "In 2009 we made a commitment to drive innovation within the industry and expand the versatility of our aircraft within the marketplace," said...

Engineers use aerospace approach to design wave energy systemThe ocean is a potentially vast source of electric power, yet as engineers test new technologies for capturing it, the devices are plagued by battering storms, limited efficiency, and the need to be tethered to the seafloor.Now, a team of aerospace engineers is applying the principles that keep airplanes aloft to create a new wave-energy system that is durable, extremely efficient, and can be placed anywhere in the ocean, regardless...

CFD visualization used at Wright State University to study the complex flow physics of dragonfly flightMost students caught hanging out in the school parking lot during class might find themselves in a bit of trouble, but for Dr. Haibo Dong's grad students, it's a study requirement.   "They've been out there all morning trying to catch a few dragonflies," he laughs. "We have a high-speed camera in the lab, but don't have any subjects to film. Catching them can be hard because they're so...

Modeling the aerodynamic secrets of one of Nature's most efficient flyersResearchers are one step closer to creating a micro-aircraft that flies with the maneuverability and energy efficiency of an insect after decoding the aerodynamic secrets of insect flight.Dr John Young, from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, and a team of animal flight researchers from Oxford University's Department of Zoology, used high-speed digital video cameras to film locusts in action in a wind...

A U.S. study shows not all insects have rigid wings, with some insects, such as moths, having wings that flex and deform during flight. University of Washington researchers said most scientists who study the mechanics and aerodynamics of insect flight have assumed insect wings are relatively rigid as they flap. But the researchers in the new study, led by biology Professor Thomas Daniel, used high-speed digital imaging to show some insects' wings flex and deform while in flight. The evidence...

Most scientists who create models trying to understand the mechanics and aerodynamics of insect flight have assumed that insect wings are relatively rigid as they flap.New University of Washington research using high-speed digital imaging shows that, at least for some insects, wings that flex and deform, something like what happens to a heavy beach towel when you snap it to get rid of the sand, are the best for staying aloft."The evidence indicates that flexible wings are producing...

The twirling seeds of maple trees spin like miniature helicopters as they fall to the ground. Because the seeds descend slowly as they swirl, they can be carried aloft by the wind and dispersed over great distances. Just how the seeds manage to fall so slowly, however, has mystified scientists.In research published in the June 12 issue of the journal Science, researchers from Wageningen University in the Netherlands and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) describe the...