Publication
Pteromys: Interactive Design and Optimization of Free-formed Free-flight Model Airplanes
AbstractThis paper introduces novel interactive techniques for designing original hand-launched free-flight glider airplanes which can actually fly. The aerodynamic properties of a glider aircraft depend on their shape, imposing significant design constraints. We present a compact and efficient representation of glider aerodynamics that can be fit to real-world conditions using a data-driven method. To do so, we acquire a sample set of glider flight trajectories using a video camera and the system learns a nonlinear relationship between forces on the wing and wing shape. Our acquisition system is much simpler to construct than a wind tunnel, but using it we can efficiently discover a wing model for simple gliding aircraft. Our resulting model can handle general free-form wing shapes and yet agrees sufficiently well with the acquired airplane flight trajectories. Based on this compact aerodynamics model, we present a design tool in which the wing configuration created by a user is interactively optimized to maximize flight-ability. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our tool for glider design by novice users, we compare it with a traditional design workflow.
Download publicationRelated Resources
See what’s new.
2007
Statistics of Infrared ImagesThe proliferation of low-cost infrared cameras gives us a new angle…
2001
Interaction Techniques for 3D Modeling on Large DisplaysWe present an alternate interface for 3D modeling for use on large…
2001
User Interfaces for Volumetric DisplaysAlthough still in the prototype stage, three-dimensional volumetric…
2012
Waken: Reverse Engineering Usage Information and Interface Structure from Software VideosWe explore the possibilities and opportunities related to reverse…
Get in touch
Something pique your interest? Get in touch if you’d like to learn more about Autodesk Research, our projects, people, and potential collaboration opportunities.
Contact us