Aircraft designers have long pursued wings that can adapt to changing flight conditions. Fixed surfaces are always a compromise: a wing shape optimized for takeoff is rarely ideal for cruise, and one ...

Engineers at Saarland University have taken a leaf out of nature's book by equipping an artificial hand with muscles made from shape-memory wire. The new technology enables the fabrication of flexible ...

Advanced monitoring methods were used throughout testing to track structural behavior. Digital imaging systems observed crack development, while embedded fiber-optic sensors measured strain ...