Aircraft wings that can change shape mid-flight? IIT Madras develops bird-inspired technology to prevent stalls
An aerodynamic stall happens when airflow separates from a wing, causing a sudden loss of lift and an increase in drag.
- Sep 13, 2026,
- Updated Sep 13, 2026 2:24 PM IST
Researchers at IIT Madras have developed a flexible "morphing skin" for aircraft wings that can change shape in response to airflow, helping prevent aerodynamic stalls and maintain lift during difficult flight conditions, PTI reported on Sunday.
Inspired by the way birds adjust their wings while flying, the technology is designed to keep airflow attached to the wing when an aircraft tilts or approaches conditions that could lead to a stall. The researchers say it can also increase lift, reduce drag and potentially improve fuel efficiency.
How the morphing skin works
An aerodynamic stall happens when airflow separates from a wing, causing a sudden loss of lift and an increase in drag. When a wing cannot generate enough lift to support an aircraft's weight, the aircraft begins to lose altitude.
The IIT Madras system uses an additional flexible wing assembly that changes shape as airflow begins to separate. The external skin adjusts to the flow, helping the wing continue generating lift instead of allowing the airflow to break away.
The research was led by Dr Rinku Mukherjee from IIT Madras. He worked on the numerical code with Antony Samuel B, an IIT Madras alumnus, and on wind tunnel experiments and implementation with Dr Aritras Roy, also an IIT Madras alumnus.
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Mukherjee, Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering at IIT Madras, said the idea was inspired by birds.
"Our research taps into a universal curiosity in that birds rarely "stall," yet aircraft, despite being inspired by them, still do."
The system combines predictive computer models with wind tunnel testing and uses Macro Fibre Composite (MFC) strips that can sense and actuate changes in the wing's shape in real time.
Mukherjee said the skin can adjust when an aircraft tilts during take-off or faces adverse conditions.
"When a flight takes off, it always tilts itself to generate additional force to lift the airplane from the ground into the air," he said.
"Sometimes the tilt can also happen due to some adverse flying conditions. In such conditions, the external skin (wing assembly attachment) tilts itself to a safe degree which continues to generate additional lifting force that keeps the airplane in air and/or prevents accidents," he added.
Potential applications
The morphing skin was tested on a 3D wing using a standard NACA 4415 airfoil configuration. The researchers found that it could prevent airflow separation while increasing lift and limiting drag.
The technology could have applications in commercial aviation, particularly during take-offs and landings. By helping aircraft operate efficiently across a wider range of flight conditions, it could also reduce fuel use and emissions.
The researchers also see potential uses in unmanned aerial vehicles and drones, where better endurance, manoeuvrability and payload efficiency are important. Its relatively light design could make it suitable for smaller aircraft, where the weight and energy requirements of heavy actuators are a challenge.
The technology could also have applications in defence and high-performance aviation, where maintaining stable airflow during turbulence or extreme manoeuvres is important.
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From research to real aircraft
The research has been in development for more than 20 years. The team says it has now moved from studying separated airflow to developing and testing a physical device.
"This research is more than 20 years old where we have taken a concept to study separated flow and converted it into a physical device to actually control flight properties in real-time," he said.
"We have experimentally validated the concept and also tested test cases and patented the same," Mukherjee added.
"Hence, we are ready to implement this in real aircrafts in real-time flight conditions as we speak."
The researchers said the external skin could potentially be added to existing aircraft without requiring a complete redesign of the wing.
The findings were published in the peer-reviewed European Journal of Mechanics - B/Fluids, an Elsevier journal covering theoretical, computational and experimental research in fluid mechanics. The paper was co-authored by Dr Aritras Roy and Dr Rinku Mukherjee.
Researchers at IIT Madras have developed a flexible "morphing skin" for aircraft wings that can change shape in response to airflow, helping prevent aerodynamic stalls and maintain lift during difficult flight conditions, PTI reported on Sunday.
Inspired by the way birds adjust their wings while flying, the technology is designed to keep airflow attached to the wing when an aircraft tilts or approaches conditions that could lead to a stall. The researchers say it can also increase lift, reduce drag and potentially improve fuel efficiency.
How the morphing skin works
An aerodynamic stall happens when airflow separates from a wing, causing a sudden loss of lift and an increase in drag. When a wing cannot generate enough lift to support an aircraft's weight, the aircraft begins to lose altitude.
The IIT Madras system uses an additional flexible wing assembly that changes shape as airflow begins to separate. The external skin adjusts to the flow, helping the wing continue generating lift instead of allowing the airflow to break away.
The research was led by Dr Rinku Mukherjee from IIT Madras. He worked on the numerical code with Antony Samuel B, an IIT Madras alumnus, and on wind tunnel experiments and implementation with Dr Aritras Roy, also an IIT Madras alumnus.
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Mukherjee, Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering at IIT Madras, said the idea was inspired by birds.
"Our research taps into a universal curiosity in that birds rarely "stall," yet aircraft, despite being inspired by them, still do."
The system combines predictive computer models with wind tunnel testing and uses Macro Fibre Composite (MFC) strips that can sense and actuate changes in the wing's shape in real time.
Mukherjee said the skin can adjust when an aircraft tilts during take-off or faces adverse conditions.
"When a flight takes off, it always tilts itself to generate additional force to lift the airplane from the ground into the air," he said.
"Sometimes the tilt can also happen due to some adverse flying conditions. In such conditions, the external skin (wing assembly attachment) tilts itself to a safe degree which continues to generate additional lifting force that keeps the airplane in air and/or prevents accidents," he added.
Potential applications
The morphing skin was tested on a 3D wing using a standard NACA 4415 airfoil configuration. The researchers found that it could prevent airflow separation while increasing lift and limiting drag.
The technology could have applications in commercial aviation, particularly during take-offs and landings. By helping aircraft operate efficiently across a wider range of flight conditions, it could also reduce fuel use and emissions.
The researchers also see potential uses in unmanned aerial vehicles and drones, where better endurance, manoeuvrability and payload efficiency are important. Its relatively light design could make it suitable for smaller aircraft, where the weight and energy requirements of heavy actuators are a challenge.
The technology could also have applications in defence and high-performance aviation, where maintaining stable airflow during turbulence or extreme manoeuvres is important.
Must Read: 'India to overtake US within 25 years...': US economist sees Asian century taking shape
From research to real aircraft
The research has been in development for more than 20 years. The team says it has now moved from studying separated airflow to developing and testing a physical device.
"This research is more than 20 years old where we have taken a concept to study separated flow and converted it into a physical device to actually control flight properties in real-time," he said.
"We have experimentally validated the concept and also tested test cases and patented the same," Mukherjee added.
"Hence, we are ready to implement this in real aircrafts in real-time flight conditions as we speak."
The researchers said the external skin could potentially be added to existing aircraft without requiring a complete redesign of the wing.
The findings were published in the peer-reviewed European Journal of Mechanics - B/Fluids, an Elsevier journal covering theoretical, computational and experimental research in fluid mechanics. The paper was co-authored by Dr Aritras Roy and Dr Rinku Mukherjee.