Man truly took to the air for the first time 105 years ago this December, setting off a chain of innovation that made human flight normal and even made space flight possible.
This week New Scientist's weekly patent column looks at the new ideas that could take the world of aviation and spacecraft to new heights.
Storm drones
Accurately predicting the path of a hurricane is a tricky task and finding a way to look inside the evolving storm is the main problem.
Radar sensors provide limited data about the internal features of a storm, and satellite photos are not taken regularly enough to make detailed predictions. Getting hold of low-altitude information, particularly from the eye of a hurricane is especially difficult.
Now defence company Raytheon in Waltham, Massachusetts, wants to send unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on patrol inside the calm eye of hurricanes to get the information needed to improve forecasts.
The drones would stay in the eye, an area typically a few tens of kilometres across, for hours or days at a time. From there they could collect low-altitude data on the "eye wall" – the area of towering clouds where a hurricane's most severe weather is to be found.
To do that, however, the drones must know their eye wall from their elbow. So Raytheon is patenting an "eye wall sensor" that uses radar to sense the intense thunderstorm and rain activity that define the zone. Drones can then stay well clear of the dangerous areas, while collecting and transmitting valuable data.
Read the fullhurricane eye-wall detector patent application
Space fuel-tanker
Perhaps the most significant limit on the lifespan of a satellite is the amount of fuel it can carry for its thrusters. Once that is used up, the satellite has no way to maintain its orbit and must be abandoned, regardless of its mechanical health.
One proposed solution is to send space tankers into orbit that refill satellites using a pipe connection. But aerospace giant Boeing has spotted a problem with this idea.
The free space in a satellite's emptying fuel tank contains fuel vapour that must be squeezed out for it to be refilled. But if that vapour is dumped into space it will form a cloud around the satellite and tanker that can damage solar panels and other instruments.
Boeing has a simple solution: connect two pipes to the fuel tank when refuelling. One delivers the new fuel, and the other collects the vapour. That can be taken back to earth by the tanker, while the refuelled satellite enjoys a new lease of life.
Read the full space tanker patent application.
Amphibious commuter aircraft
As cities grow and become more crowded, commuting and travel of all kinds becomes more difficult. Flying in particular is getting ever more arduous, because airports must be situated at some distance from most cities, making journeys to and from them long and complex.
Russell Belden from Seattle thinks small, tri-hulled amphibious aircraft are the answer.
Traditional amphibious aircraft are little more than conventional aircraft with floats instead of wheels, he says. That causes all kinds of problems, according to Belden. The floats have poor aerodynamic qualities that make the aircraft slow and inefficient in the air, and also generate lots of spray on takeoff and landing that damages engines and control surfaces.
Belden has patented a design with floats he claims produce only minimal spray, and are highly aerodynamic.
In addition, the aircraft's wings fold up to allow the aircraft to dock in places other planes cannot reach – perfect for crowded city harbours. The inventor says his tri-hulled amphibious aircraft could revolutionise the city commute, at least in areas with lakes or reservoirs.
source: technology.newscientist.com
