SMS : smarter wings for bird-like flights.
Date: 2018-06-04
Institutions: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
Subjects: aerodynamics, aircraft, applied research, energy efficiency, innovation, new technology, product design, research expenditure (EU)

SMS 

Smarter wings for bird-like flights 

Taking inspiration from nature, an EU-funded project is developing smart airplane wings that can 
sense changes in pressure and adapt their shape instantaneously. These airplanes of the future will 
be more energy efficient and silent: more bird-like, in effect.  

© SMS 

The  EU-funded  SMS  project  is  installing  next-generation  fibre  optic-based  sensors  that  take  pressure 
measurements  in  real  time  during  flight,  enabling  wings  to  adapt  to  changing  conditions  in  the  sky.  The 
adaptation  will  also  help  to  reduce  noise  and  vibration,  increasing  passenger  comfort  and  safety,  the  project 
states.  

Modifying wing shape to achieve maximum aerodynamic performance could help airline operators cut fuel costs 
and reduce emissions. By demonstrating these efficiencies in simulations of an Airbus A320 wing in flight, the 
project hopes to contribute towards a new era in wing design, capable of achieving at least a 1 % reduction in 
fuel consumption and around 0.5 % in CO2 emissions on its own. 

The  smart  technology  being  pioneered  by  SMS  could  also  open  up  new  possibilities  and  applications  in  other 
sectors. Embedded electroactive sensory systems for example could be installed in wind turbines, cars and ship 
propellers.  

“One thing that makes  the  SMS  project  unique  is  the  degree  to  which the  sensory  system  being developed is 
linked  to  real-time  activation,”  explains  Marianna  Braza,  director  of  research  at  CNRS  and  the  project’s 
coordinator at the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse in France.  

“This is how birds of prey operate in flight. Their internal sensory systems capture pressure fluctuations, which 
are  instantaneously  analysed  and  used  through  their  multiple-scale  wings,  ailerons  and  feathers  system,  to 

 
 
  
 
 
 
          
       
 
 
optimise  aerodynamic  performance  in  real  time.  This  allows  these  birds  to  swoop  down  on  prey  silently  and 
efficiently by increasing lift and decreasing drag. Adapting the shape and vibratory behaviour of a plane’s wings 
in real time has the same effect.” 

Fly like a bird 

The  fibre-optic  sensors  being  pioneered  by  the  three-year  project,  which  began  in  May  2017,  form  part  of  a 
system  known  as  ‘hybrid  electroactive  morphing’.  Slight  variations  in  pressure  picked  up  by  the  sensors  are 
transmitted to a deformable high-lift flap on the wing.  

Changes in shape are achieved by shape memory alloys that are embedded within the lifting structure. These 
alloys ‘remember’ their original shape, and when deformed can return to their pre-deformed shape.  

“This  behaviour  mimics  the  performance  of  bird  feathers  in  flight,”  adds  Braza.  “Of  course,  birds  never  fly  at 
cruising speeds, so the SMS project is only partly bio-inspired.”   

Ready for lift-off 

With  more  than  two  years  to  go,  SMS  still  has  development  work  to  complete  before  trials  can  begin. 
Nonetheless  the  project  team  is  confident  that  substantial  increases  in  aerodynamic  performance  can  be 
achieved – drag reduction and lift increase during take-off and cruise speeds, as well as lift increase and noise 
reduction during landing.  

“We are setting up multi-disciplinary teams to study materials that can best improve aerodynamic efficiency,” 
says Braza. “It is worth noting that existing systems attempting drag reduction produce an increase in noise, and 
vice-versa. A key aim of the project is to increase aerodynamic performance while reducing noise at the same 
time.” 

SMS  emphasises  that  existing  systems  to  adapt  wing  shape  during  flight  are  based  on  hydro-mechanical 
actuators,  which  are  heavy  and  slow  to  implement.  The  electroactive  actuators  being  developed  by  the  SMS 
team work instead capture vibrations and redistribute this energy in order to adapt wing shape. This embedded 
system promises to be lighter, more versatile and more economical. 

Project details 

Project acronym: SMS – Smart Morphing and Sensing 

Participants: France (Coordinator), Germany, Greece, Poland, Italy, Switzerland 

Project Reference N° 723402 

Total cost: € 3 991 687 

Project web site: http://smartwing.org/SMS/EU/ 

    Duration: May 2017 to April 2020 

 EU contribution: € 3 991 687 

ISBN 978-92-79-81525-6 

DOI 10.2777/131471 

 KI-04-18-301-EN-N