Active adhesion improves adaptive flight for feathered wings

Active adhesion improves adaptive flight for feathered wings | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Active adhesion improves adaptive flight for feathered wings Kevin Haughn, Jeffrey Auletta, John Hrynuk, Todd Henry This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5167087/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 13 Oct, 2025 Read the published version in Communications Engineering → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Birds change the shape of their wings to adapt to dynamic environments, such as dense cities and forests. Engineers have explored using avian-informed designs with feather-based wing morphing to achieve similar capabilities with small aircraft. Unlike engineered systems, natural feathers prevent separation during morphing with microscopic features. Without a fastening mechanism, gaps can form throughout the wing, reducing the transverse force generation necessary for rapid change in flight path, thus impairing maneuverability. Here we show how active feather fastening adapts wing force and moment generation to improve maneuverability, efficiency, and stability over inactive feathers. Further, the active feathers offer a desirable relationship between velocity and these metrics, improving on, or maintaining comparable performance to, baseline rigid wings. As small aircraft are expected to fly faster, further, and with advanced aerobatic capability, feathered morphing wings incorporating electrostatic adhesion will advance aircraft adaptability for successful operation in complex environments. Physical sciences/Engineering/Aerospace engineering Biological sciences/Zoology/Animal physiology Physical sciences/Materials science Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files featheredwingsupplementarymaterialssubmission.docx Active adhesion improves adaptive flight for feathered wings Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 13 Oct, 2025 Read the published version in Communications Engineering → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5167087","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":367549052,"identity":"1723908d-071d-4823-9ab4-2f1ed0e01541","order_by":0,"name":"Kevin Haughn","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABFElEQVRIie3RsUrEMBjA8U8C6ZI6pxy0TyCkFCLH+TCFA10i6CK6iKWQW/oA+hbCQXGMZHDp0fWE2wpddFA6udlrK5zQVkfB/CEhJPm1QwBMpj8YrYfaLlg90HaBAan2DKGb3xIcdmRvkMA3AkBYt9dPnEXi6zPYwKGVBS/nD+DtU/FeXQkNB4t+MiEZ07dQwjQRfHaXgS/p6dJZpRq47icuPQ41AQ1MCR7YEkJMVvdONEa8siP56xfJio8xMqFItWQtgqIhVoJH/+Ik85qwkrB1eYFsSX1pST6N0hMyROjTY1yRy43L8vmysuWR58WoeI7SmctzrfpIG1OknjHdeaeYDF9vaj6H3nZ2rn8QJpPJ9I/6BJBZXXQMhpcSAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8219-8983","institution":"DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kevin","middleName":"","lastName":"Haughn","suffix":""},{"id":367549053,"identity":"b735a500-52d9-4b4f-89ba-88911bf83210","order_by":1,"name":"Jeffrey Auletta","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jeffrey","middleName":"","lastName":"Auletta","suffix":""},{"id":367549054,"identity":"3f0e9c56-83d0-44cf-9f07-b2901608c1a5","order_by":2,"name":"John Hrynuk","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3199-1332","institution":"DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"John","middleName":"","lastName":"Hrynuk","suffix":""},{"id":367549055,"identity":"9fda9f28-f068-456e-a008-2665f55e3025","order_by":3,"name":"Todd Henry","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Todd","middleName":"","lastName":"Henry","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-09-27 18:50:16","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5167087/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5167087/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-025-00452-z","type":"published","date":"2025-10-13T04:00:00+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":93464445,"identity":"20319c02-eff4-4a74-bc35-cf0022f51fe4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-14 07:06:11","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":825514,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Featheredwingsubmission.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5167087/v1_covered_ca0c9410-f136-474c-a663-71244a549b9e.pdf"},{"id":68730925,"identity":"ccfec45f-e5ec-4f7e-81f1-bf3a8e651ae3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-11 12:28:13","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":760517,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Active adhesion improves adaptive flight for feathered wings","description":"","filename":"featheredwingsupplementarymaterialssubmission.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5167087/v1/d447efff28b25a2b3c09fb26.docx"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Active adhesion improves adaptive flight for feathered wings","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-portfolio","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature Portfolio","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5167087/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5167087/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eBirds change the shape of their wings to adapt to dynamic environments, such as dense cities and forests. Engineers have explored using avian-informed designs with feather-based wing morphing to achieve similar capabilities with small aircraft. Unlike engineered systems, natural feathers prevent separation during morphing with microscopic features. Without a fastening mechanism, gaps can form throughout the wing, reducing the transverse force generation necessary for rapid change in flight path, thus impairing maneuverability. Here we show how active feather fastening adapts wing force and moment generation to improve maneuverability, efficiency, and stability over inactive feathers. Further, the active feathers offer a desirable relationship between velocity and these metrics, improving on, or maintaining comparable performance to, baseline rigid wings. As small aircraft are expected to fly faster, further, and with advanced aerobatic capability, feathered morphing wings incorporating electrostatic adhesion will advance aircraft adaptability for successful operation in complex environments.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Active adhesion improves adaptive flight for feathered wings","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-11-11 12:28:08","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5167087/v1","editorialEvents":[],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"communications-engineering","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"commseng","sideBox":"Learn more about [Communications Engineering](http://link.springer.com/journal/44172)","snPcode":"44172","submissionUrl":"https://mts-commseng.nature.com/cgi-bin/main.plex","title":"Communications Engineering","twitterHandle":"@commseng","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"4a115006-1a85-4246-8c8a-dd4fff3d8847","owner":[],"postedDate":"November 11th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":39110374,"name":"Physical sciences/Engineering/Aerospace engineering"},{"id":39110375,"name":"Biological sciences/Zoology/Animal physiology"},{"id":39110376,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-14T07:06:04+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-5167087","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-025-00452-z","journal":{"identity":"communications-engineering","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Communications Engineering"},"publishedOn":"2025-10-13 04:00:00","publishedOnDateReadable":"October 13th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-11-11 12:28:08","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s44172-025-00452-z","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-025-00452-z","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-5167087","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-5167087","identity":"rs-5167087","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}