A reduced-scale autonomous morphing vehicle prototype with enhanced aerodynamic efficiency

Road vehicles contribute to significant levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A potential strategy for improving their aerodynamic efficiency and reducing emissions is through active adaptation of their exterior shapes to the aerodynamic environment. In this study, we present a reduced-scale morphing vehicle prototype capable of actively interacting with the aerodynamic environment to enhance fuel economy. Morphing is accomplished by retrofitting a deformable structure actuated by built-in motors. The morphing vehicle prototype is integrated with an optimization algorithm that can autonomously identify the structural shape that minimizes aerodynamic drag. The performance of the vehicle prototype is investigated through experiments in a large-scale wind tunnel facility. The autonomous optimization algorithm identifies an optimal morphing shape that can elicit an 8.5% drag reduction. This benefit of shape morphing is corroborated by repeated measurements in the wind tunnel, demonstrating a consistent decrease in drag as the vehicle transitions from a suboptimal to the optimal shape. This study highlights the feasibility and benefits of real-time shape morphing under conditions representative of realistic road environments, paving the way for the realization of full-scale morphing vehicles with enhanced aerodynamic efficiency and reduced GHG emissions.