Search

The ActiVator is a rigid-wing system designed to transport sensor or instrument packages along a kite line using the lift generated by apparent wind. Unlike flexible, sail-like structures, the ActiVator maintains its aerodynamic shape throughout its flight, except for a movable elevator control surface that adjusts the angle of attack to regulate aerodynamic lift. The structural design leverages principles from aircraft wing engineering, incorporating a reinforced spar capable of withstanding lift-induced bending and drag forces, an aerodynamically optimized leading edge, and a thin trailing edge to achieve higher lift coefficients than typical sail-based designs. The ActiVator can be constructed using a variety of materials, including wood with plastic covering, molded foam with reinforcements, or other lightweight composites tailored for both aerodynamic performance and structural integrity. The control system mirrors conventional aircraft design, using a movable surface for pitch control, thereby adjusting lift to facilitate climbing or descending. Currently, the ActiVator operates via radio-controlled inputs, but it can also be configured for preprogrammed flight sequences, allowing autonomous operation without active user control. By offering a stable, compact, and lightweight platform, the ActiVator enables high-performance instrument deployment across diverse wind conditions. Potential applications include air-quality monitoring, atmospheric boundary layer research, distributed weather observations, and remote sensing, such as optimizing the field of view and resolution of a fixed-lens camera. The technology is at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 (validated in a laboratory environment) and is available for patent licensing.

The technology uses a base set of the substructure, interface, and skin building blocks to design an aerostructure that maximize the aerodynamic loading of the aero structure while maintaining the appropriate safety factor. The main substructure building blocks used are octahedral unit cells, which, when connected at their nodes, produce a cuboctahedral lattice structure. The interface building block set connects the vertices of the substructure building blocks to the skin components and the root and tip plates. The skin is a collection of flat and curved plates that are designed to overlap one-another and to transfer aerodynamic pressure loads directly to the substructure through the interface parts. Panels are not interconnected and thus do not behave as a structural stressed skin. Neighboring panels overlap by 10.2mm to ensure a continuous surface for airflow while still allowing panels to slide past one another during aeroelastic shape change. The structure was developed with adherence to the following guidelines: (i) All second voxel type groupings are limited to linear string shapes; (ii) No second voxel type grouping string can be longer than three blocks long; (iii) Second voxel type grouping strings can not be placed within two unit spaces of each other; (iv) Second voxel type grouping strings placed spanwise will reduce bending and torsional stiffness; (v) Second voxel type grouping strings placed chordwise decreases airfoil shape stability; (vii) Second voxel type grouping strings reduce the total length of building block extrusion.