Aerospace Vehicle Design
Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing
Currently, there is a push for an urban air mobility system of moving people and goods quickly in populated areas. Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft provide a quick and quiet method to travel in busy cities. One of the most promising configurations are fixed wing multi-rotor systems, providing the speed of conventional aircraft and vertical take-off and landing capabilities but without the noise of helicopters. Research areas of eVTOLs include aerodynamic design (with multiple rotating propellers and wing surfaces) and design of the propulsive system.
Unconventional Configurations
The conventional tube-and-wing airliner, which has existed since the early 1950s, is quickly reaching a stagnation point where every last drop of efficiency has been milked. Thus in order to meet the environmental requirements of the future, more unconventional configurations (such as the blended-wing-body, truss-braced wing) are being looked into potentially providing a more efficient platform. Research areas of these unconventional designs include structural design (such as the BWB cabin and TBW bracing structure) and weight estimations.