We were awarded funding from the NSF!

Our project titled "Bioinspired, Adaptive, and Self-Deploying Flaps for Distributed Aerodynamic Flow Control" was selected for funding by the National Science Foundation.

Motivated by the covert feathers on bird wings, this work explores how passive, feather-inspired flaps can respond to unsteady aerodynamic flows and improve flight performance without requiring active power input.

Through a combination of high-fidelity simulations and experiments, we aim to understand the fluid-structure interaction mechanisms that govern elastic flap dynamics, wake behavior, and aerodynamic force generation.

This project is a collaboration with Prof. Aimy Wissa from UIUC.