Aerospace engineering articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Vehicle control systems typically take compliant objects, such as vegetation, as obstacles to be avoided, hindering locomotion through busy mediums. Here, authors present a traversal strategy that considers a drone’s morphology and an obstacle’s compliance to decide between circumventing it or pushing it aside.

    • Emanuele Aucone
    • , Christian Geckeler
    •  & Stefano Mintchev

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Gas sensors typically detect only few specific gases; the authors show a broad-spectrum sensor based on correlated 2-dimensional electron gas (C-2DEG), which detects various gases quantitatively and measures partial pressures, through a purely physical mechanism.

    • Yuhao Hong
    • , Long Wei
    •  & Zhaoliang Liao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In adverse weather, small-scale modern aircraft can encounter severe turbulence in urban canyons and mountainous areas hindering stable flight. The authors use machine learning to reveal the low-dimensional manifold that captures the extreme aerodynamics of gust-airfoil interactions.

    • Kai Fukami
    •  & Kunihiko Taira

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Accurate flight trajectory prediction can be a challenging task in air traffic control, especially for maneuver operations. Here, authors develop a time-frequency analysis based on an encoder-decoder neural architecture to estimate wavelet components and model global flight trends and local motion details.

    • Zheng Zhang
    • , Dongyue Guo
    •  & Yi Lin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In this work, the authors demonstrate that pulse current can effectively be used to reduce delamination damage and residual deformation in 3D orthogonal woven composites, enhancing mechanical properties and damage tolerance.

    • Yan Li
    • , Fusheng Wang
    •  & Laohu Long

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Knowledge of atmospheric turbulence strength at various distances is critical for the development of effective solutions for turbulence mitigation. Here, authors demonstrate how to probe the distribution of turbulence strength along a propagation path with multiple longitudinally structured optical beams

    • Huibin Zhou
    • , Xinzhou Su
    •  & Alan E. Willner

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Droplets and sharp interfaces at supercritical pressures are interpreted as evidence of surface tension due to phase equilibria in mixtures, given the lack of a supercritical liquid-vapor phase equilibrium in pure fluids. Authors show from first principles and simulations that, unlike in gases or liquids, stable droplets, bubbles, and planar interfaces can exist without surface tension.

    • N. P. Longmire
    • , S. L. Showalter
    •  & D. T. Banuti

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The biomimicry of animals’ appendage repurposing can be applied to robot designs, resulting in unparalleled capabilities. Sihite et al. report a Multi-Modal Mobility Morphobot (M4) that negotiate unstructured, multi-substrate environments, including land and air, by employing its components in different ways as wheels, thrusters, and legs.

    • Eric Sihite
    • , Arash Kalantari
    •  & Morteza Gharib

  • Perspective
    | Open Access

    Biotechnology is emerging as a promising approach to increase resilience, flexibility, and efficiency of space missions. In this Perspective, the authors outline design-scenarios and provide a techno-economic analysis of their deployment.

    • Nils J. H. Averesch
    • , Aaron J. Berliner
    •  & Adam P. Arkin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bird-like, flapping-wing robots can fly safely, quietly and with high agility. The authors propose a method to extend flapping-wing robots capability with autonomous perching, and is demonstrated with a 700 g robot flying and perching onto a branch.

    • Raphael Zufferey
    • , Jesus Tormo-Barbero
    •  & Anibal Ollero

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Synthetic materials that can repeatedly self-repair, akin to biological systems, are vital to meeting the 21st century’s infrastructural demands. Here, authors develop fiber-reinforced composites with rapid and prolonged in situ self-healing while also preserving structural integrity.

    • Alexander D. Snyder
    • , Zachary J. Phillips
    •  & Jason F. Patrick

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of machine learning systems has to ensure their robustness and reliability. The authors introduce a framework that defines a principled process of machine learning system formation, from research to production, for various domains and data scenarios.

    • Alexander Lavin
    • , Ciarán M. Gilligan-Lee
    •  & Yarin Gal

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Fusion welding of 7000 series aluminum alloy is plagued by cracking from a fine equiaxed zone (FQZ). Here, the authors quantify key softening mechanisms, show the damage accumulation sequence, and propose a hybrid laser/arc welding strategy to mitigate the FQZ and increase weld strength and toughness.

    • Yanan Hu
    • , Shengchuan Wu
    •  & Philip J. Withers

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The speed and efficiency of transportation and energy systems, including airplanes, ships, and wind turbines can be limited by skin-friction drag. The authors describe a pathway to drag reduction by controlling the large-scale turbulent eddies occurring away from the surface for improved function.

    • Ivan Marusic
    • , Dileep Chandran
    •  & Alexander J. Smits

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Telecommunication, navigation and remote sensing services are highly dependent on how well satellites provide global coverage. Here the authors show a pair of four-satellite low-cost longer-life constellations that provide nearly continuous global coverage to support Earth observation.

    • Lake A. Singh
    • , William R. Whittecar
    •  & Patrick M. Reed

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOLs), or “flying cars” can shorten commute time and could play a niche role in sustainable mobility. The authors estimate that over long distances, fully-loaded electric VTOL taxis could result in fewer GHG emissions than average occupancy ground-based cars.

    • Akshat Kasliwal
    • , Noah J. Furbush
    •  & Gregory A. Keoleian

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Complex phase transformations in β-stabilised titanium alloys can dramatically change their α and β microstructures, providing tailorability for aerospace or biomaterial applications. Here the authors show that Ti-Nb alloys exhibit giant thermal expansions and identify two new pathways that lead to α phase formation.

    • Matthias Bönisch
    • , Ajit Panigrahi
    •  & Jürgen Eckert

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Shape memory materials are capable of returning to their original form post-deformation, but those with high actuation performances remain scarce. Here the authors reveal that CaFe2As2 exhibits cryogenic linear shape memory behaviour with high recoverable strain and yield strength, owing to a reversible uni-axial phase transformation.

    • John T. Sypek
    • , Hang Yu
    •  & Seok-Woo Lee

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