AEROSKIN (Smart Skin for Airflow Sensing) is a project devoted to increase the technological maturity of the multi-point and non-intrusive local monitoring of the airflow, a key technology in multiple applications such as the optimization of aircraft efficiency, the improvement of energy generation at wind turbines or the health-monitoring of structures exposed to the airflow. The Smart Skin is a flexible and non-intrusive sensing structure which allows to measure locally at multiple points the airflow characteristics, instead of providing information at macroscopic level as to date. This technology is a critical enabler for adaptive and morphing aircraft, which is one the potential pillars to be developed to meet the ambitious goals of the EU on reducing fuel consumption, noise and total emissions of aerospace industry. Departing from the heritage of three instruments developed by a consortia member (UPC) for Martians NASA missions (REMS (Rover Environmental Monitoring Station) for the Mars Science Laboratory mission, TWINS for InSight and MEDA (Mars Environment Dynamics Analyzer) for Mars2020), the AEROSKIN consortia team proposes to develop a Smart skin wing mock-up to be tested in a medium size Wind Tunnel with the goal of proving the Smart skin capabilities in a controlled environment, hence rising the Technology Readiness Level up to 4, as a first step to bring this solution to the aeronautics and energy markets.
Project CPP2021-008740 funded by MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and European Union NextGenerationEU/ PRTR.
