SMART MATERIALS—MATERIALS THAT ADAPT TO CHANGING CONDITIONS - Chemistry: Notable Research and Discoveries - page 129

in the Netherlands and Sweden have studied these birds in flight and
have even tested their wings in a wind tunnel. The result, “How Swifts
Control Their Glide Performance with Morphing Wings,” published by
David Lentink and his colleagues in Nature in 2007, showed that by
changing the shape of their wings, swifts can fly up to 60 percent farther
and turn up to three times faster.
ConCluSIon
Smart materials and structures often mimic living organisms, which are
the ultimate smart systems. Inspired by highly adaptable animals such
as falcons and swifts, smart materials are becoming increasingly impor-
tant in how chemists, engineers, and materials scientists think about
and design objects. As in clothes, one size does not fit all. A smart mate-
rial that changes to meet varying conditions is much more efficient than
making a different system or structure for all occasions.
Modified F/A-18A used for the Active Aeroelastic Wing project
(NASA, Jim Ross)