Biomechanics of flexible wing drones usable for emergency medical transport operations

To warrant delivery by drone, a package needs to be of high value, lightweight and time sensitive. Blood, medical diagnostics devices and defibrillators fit this description. In urban environments where wind gusts are abundant, small fix-winged drones face difficult challenges on medical missions. The paper proposes the solution of flexible wings that passively adapt to the flow. To further advance the knowledge on the aerodynamic characteristics of flexible wings, the pressure distribution and the corresponding shape change of the lifting surfaces are tracked. In this paper, we use CFD simulations to underline the aerodynamic characteristics of a custom designed small aircraft wing.