Animal inspiration: AlbatrossONE

Although humans are noticeably more developed than animals, we can always learn from them. In this case, Airbus engineers created a prototype commercial airplane inspired by the albatross, hence its name.

Albatrosses

Albatrosses are large birds. They can measure between 2.9 meters to 3.3 meters in wingspan and 1.1 meters to 1.4 meters in height. They have a body mass of 7 kilograms and are distributed throughout the Antarctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the southern Atlantic Ocean. But the interesting thing about these birds is that they are capable of traveling up to hundreds of kilometers without flapping their wings. The secret of the albatross is its ability to 'lock' its wings on the shoulder when traveling long distances. In this way, you can spend a lot of time facing the wind and taking advantage of it to fly upwards.

When gusts of wind appear, the albatross quickly 'unlocks' its wings to overcome brief increases in air speed. For more information on albatrosses, visit this website: http://www.albatrospedia.com

The AlbatrossONE

The AlbatrossONE uses the same technique as the real albatrosses: Depending on the moment, the wings of the AlbatrossONE lock or unlock and thus significantly reduce fuel consumption in the same way as in the albatross. If albatrosses don't bat, they don't get tired and need less food. In the same way that if the airplane saves fuel, there are less CO2 emissions in the environment. Less fuel is consumed because in a conventional wing huge loads are transmitted to the fuselage during turbulence. This requires that the wing base be heavily reinforced and this reinforcement adds considerably to the weight to the aircraft. The AlbatrossOne's wingtips react and flex in response to gusts of wind, significantly reducing the load. In addition, also thanks to this innovative technology, it is able to reduce the effects of turbulence.

The phases of flight and the angle of the wing

It is not always necessary for the aircraft wing to always be elastic, so Airbus engineers assigned a wing angle for each phase. These are:

• At the airport, the wingtips would be folded 90º and on the runway they would unfold. The wing would be rigid at this stage.

• On the runway, the angle of the wing would go from 90º to 10º. This time there would also be the stiff wing.

• During the climb and the flight itself, the wings are straight, at 0º, just like a conventional commercial airplane.

• During turbulence and maneuvers, the wings would be free. Unlocked if it were an albatross.

• During approach and landing, the wings would re-fix at an angle of 10º, in the same way as on take-off.

And this is how albatrosses have been the source of inspiration for a more sustainable and comfortable wing design.