Signal Processing Pushes the Aerospace Envelope [Special Reports]

Large, stealthy birds of prey aren´t usually associated with the world of signal processing, except perhaps for some owls living near Cambridge, United Kingdom. Owls were renowned for their nearly silent flying ability long before people ever took to the skies. Now, researchers at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom are carefully examining the owl´s wing structure in an effort to better understand its ability to mitigate noise. The engineers hope to apply the insights they obtain to the design of various types of aircraft wings.