Latest news with #MicroTau
The Age
25-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Could sharks hold the secret to cutting flight costs?
'We expect we'll have some initial results that look like they are performing better,' he said, but more testing is needed before they can be commercialised. Bilinsky, with a background in physics and law, didn't start looking for technology based specifically on microgrooves before he founded MicroTau in 2016. Applying for an open innovation challenge from the US Air Force, Bilinsky then consulted past work on drag reduction, and wondered if it could be adapted at the nanoscale, using photolithography machines, similar to those used in making microchips. The company uses photolithography machines to produce the film which is applied to the outside of planes. The concept of using microgrooves to cut drag in water has been around for some time. When the US won the America's Cup back from Australia in 1987, the hull of the American yacht, The Stars & Stripes, was coated with riblets, based on NASA research. The effect underwater and in the air is similar. Loading 'Drag is,' according to NASA, 'the aerodynamic force that opposes an aircraft's motion through the air.' It's the aerodynamic friction. Trimming this down saves on the energy used to overcome drag. The trick, Bilinsky says, is the 'scale' of the riblets needed to reduce drag on the plane: the tiny ribs must be microscopic for them to be effective. But the scale of the production of the riblets also must be large: hundreds of square meters of the material are needed to cover a single airplane. Importantly, the technology can be applied to existing planes, allowing large fleets to trim fuel costs. Based on current savings applied to current commercial fuel burn across the industry, it could save about $US8 billion ($12 billion) a year, and 40 billion tonnes of carbon. The US Air Force, for example, spends $US10 billion a year on jet fuel, saving a small per cent of that bill is worthwhile. But if MicroTau technology is widely adapted, it has potential to reduce fuel bills across commercial fleets too. Vueling is the economy airline owned by Spain-based International Airlines Group, parent company of British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus among others. Microtau has worked with JetStar and partnered with Delta Airlines. Vueling is the first European airline customer of MicroTau's. Vueling director of sustainability Franc Sanmarti said the 'possibility of implementing MicroTau's cutting-edge technology across our aircraft once it is certified marks an important milestone in Vueling's journey toward a more sustainable aviation'. 'The original work was research done by NASA decades ago showing that if you could replicate these riblet type microstructures that you find on shark skin that it reduces friction drag,' said Bilinsky. 'There are decades of research behind that principle.' Australian made MicroTau is opening a larger production facility that can provide the covering for dozens of aircraft a year, with plans for a new factory next year, which will increase production. Asked about criticism that Australia is unfavourable for manufacturing, Bilinsky noted that the staff were 'highly skilled labour', the process doesn't involve a 'huge number of hands', Bilinsky said. Given the lightweight product, the cost of shipping is manageable. The company has support from the NSW and federal governments through grant programs. 'I think it is still unusual to do advanced manufacturing in Australia at least in terms of the start-up world,' Bilinsky said. 'I think there's more of that happening in other countries, but I think we're pretty bullish on doing this in the near term.' In the longer term, if MicroTau needed to massively ramp up production, it would be open to having manufacturing plants elsewhere. The company is backed by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation's Virescent Ventures.
Sydney Morning Herald
25-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Could sharks hold the secret to cutting flight costs?
'We expect we'll have some initial results that look like they are performing better,' he said, but more testing is needed before they can be commercialised. Bilinsky, with a background in physics and law, didn't start looking for technology based specifically on microgrooves before he founded MicroTau in 2016. Applying for an open innovation challenge from the US Air Force, Bilinsky then consulted past work on drag reduction, and wondered if it could be adapted at the nanoscale, using photolithography machines, similar to those used in making microchips. The company uses photolithography machines to produce the film which is applied to the outside of planes. The concept of using microgrooves to cut drag in water has been around for some time. When the US won the America's Cup back from Australia in 1987, the hull of the American yacht, The Stars & Stripes, was coated with riblets, based on NASA research. The effect underwater and in the air is similar. Loading 'Drag is,' according to NASA, 'the aerodynamic force that opposes an aircraft's motion through the air.' It's the aerodynamic friction. Trimming this down saves on the energy used to overcome drag. The trick, Bilinsky says, is the 'scale' of the riblets needed to reduce drag on the plane: the tiny ribs must be microscopic for them to be effective. But the scale of the production of the riblets also must be large: hundreds of square meters of the material are needed to cover a single airplane. Importantly, the technology can be applied to existing planes, allowing large fleets to trim fuel costs. Based on current savings applied to current commercial fuel burn across the industry, it could save about $US8 billion ($12 billion) a year, and 40 billion tonnes of carbon. The US Air Force, for example, spends $US10 billion a year on jet fuel, saving a small per cent of that bill is worthwhile. But if MicroTau technology is widely adapted, it has potential to reduce fuel bills across commercial fleets too. Vueling is the economy airline owned by Spain-based International Airlines Group, parent company of British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus among others. Microtau has worked with JetStar and partnered with Delta Airlines. Vueling is the first European airline customer of MicroTau's. Vueling director of sustainability Franc Sanmarti said the 'possibility of implementing MicroTau's cutting-edge technology across our aircraft once it is certified marks an important milestone in Vueling's journey toward a more sustainable aviation'. 'The original work was research done by NASA decades ago showing that if you could replicate these riblet type microstructures that you find on shark skin that it reduces friction drag,' said Bilinsky. 'There are decades of research behind that principle.' Australian made MicroTau is opening a larger production facility that can provide the covering for dozens of aircraft a year, with plans for a new factory next year, which will increase production. Asked about criticism that Australia is unfavourable for manufacturing, Bilinsky noted that the staff were 'highly skilled labour', the process doesn't involve a 'huge number of hands', Bilinsky said. Given the lightweight product, the cost of shipping is manageable. The company has support from the NSW and federal governments through grant programs. 'I think it is still unusual to do advanced manufacturing in Australia at least in terms of the start-up world,' Bilinsky said. 'I think there's more of that happening in other countries, but I think we're pretty bullish on doing this in the near term.' In the longer term, if MicroTau needed to massively ramp up production, it would be open to having manufacturing plants elsewhere. The company is backed by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation's Virescent Ventures.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The ‘shark skin' technology that could make flying cheaper
Scientists have developed an artificial 'shark skin' coating for aeroplanes, which they say could potentially reduce turbulence and save airlines billions in fuel costs. As part of its Sustainable Skies Lab, the American airline Delta has partnered with the Australian aerospace firm MicroTau to investigate whether the coating could be applied to planes. It may sound like science fiction, but some airlines have already developed similar technologies and are already adding it to their fleets. Here is everything we know about the 'shark skin' technology, and how it could make for a cheaper, smoother, cleaner ride at 35,000 feet. What exactly is 'shark skin' technology? To understand the technology, we must begin with the shark. While sharks may appear smooth, their skin is in fact covered in a layer of minuscule overlapping grooves called dermal denticles, which allow the shark to glide through water more efficiently. Scientists think that they can mimic the effect on planes by adding microscopic grooves, or riblets, to the outside of an aircraft. This biomimicry, they say, could revolutionise the efficiency of aircraft. So no animals were harmed in its creation? Despite the name, the 'shark skin' is entirely artificial. Incidentally, Delta is also teaming up with Airbus to investigate another flying technique called 'fello'fly' which takes inspiration from the movement of migrating geese. How could 'shark skin' technology reduce fuel costs? When an aircraft moves through the air, tiny whirlpools called hairpin vortices form on the plane's surface, creating resistance. The idea is that applying the riblets to the aircraft could reduce drag by smoothing the air flow. This would help to reduce fuel consumption by up to 4 per cent, according to Delta. Applied across the industry this could amount to a saving of as many as 4 billion gallons of fuel and millions of tons of CO2 emissions. For example, if applied to an Airbus A380 flying from Sydney to LA, an airline would save around $5,000 and the aircraft would save more than 18 metric tons of emissions. So as a knock-on effect, the technology could plausibly make flying cheaper for passengers, too. The International Air Transport Association, of which the majority of global airlines (including Delta) are members, has pledged to achieve net zero by 2050. And what about turbulence? Researchers say that the film coating could have other positive impacts for passengers, including increasing the speed of aircraft and reducing turbulence. In a study from 2016, the University of Melbourne found that turbulent boundary layers, thin layers of liquid or air that form around bodies of vehicles, can contribute to drag. 'Even when aircraft is flying through perfectly still air, there is still this layer that forms over the aircraft and gets thicker and thicker toward the back of the plane. Within that layer, everything is chaotic and turbulent,' said Associate Professor Hutchins. 'We've found if you replicate that shark skin texture on the surface of an aircraft, you get some reduction in drag due to the turbulent boundary layers,' Hutchins added. In the 2016 report, it was suggested that maintenance issues and concerns around the colouring of the shark skin could have slowed progress in the adoption of the technology. Could it be added to any aircraft? MicroTau, the Australian firm that has teamed with Delta, has used laser technology to create the shark-skin pattern on self-adhesive patches. They say that these could be added onto existing aircraft, and indeed other modes of transport. Is this actually going to happen? It appears so. In fact, some airlines are already using their own version of the technology. Lufthansa, Latam, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and All Nippon Airways have adopted 'Aeroshark' which works in a similar way and have already added it to some of their fleet. Japan Airlines has also developed its own version of the technology in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Their method, however, uses a water-soluble mould to create riblet grooves on a painted surface. Applying this requires meticulous skill. Delta says it will now begin testing the 'shark skin' riblets on its Boeing 767 fleet. Sangita Sharma, director of Delta's Sustainable Skies Lab, said: 'We'll do ground testing, and then we'll work our way towards on-wing testing and eventually live aircraft testing. So this process is actually multi-year, very long, because safety and reliability are first.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
06-05-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
The ‘shark skin' technology that could make flying cheaper
Scientists have developed an artificial 'shark skin' coating for aeroplanes, which they say could potentially reduce turbulence and save airlines billions in fuel costs. As part of its Sustainable Skies Lab, the American airline Delta has partnered with the Australian aerospace firm MicroTau to investigate whether the coating could be applied to planes. It may sound like science fiction, but some airlines have already developed similar technologies and are already adding it to their fleets. Here is everything we know about the 'shark skin' technology, and how it could make for a cheaper, smoother, cleaner ride at 35,000 feet. So no animals were harmed in its creation? Despite the name, the 'shark skin' is entirely artificial. Incidentally, Delta is also teaming up with Airbus to investigate another flying technique called 'fello'fly' which takes inspiration from the movement of migrating geese. How could 'shark skin' technology reduce fuel costs? When an aircraft moves through the air, tiny whirlpools called hairpin vortices form on the plane's surface, creating resistance. The idea is that applying the riblets to the aircraft could reduce drag by smoothing the air flow. This would help to reduce fuel consumption by up to 4 per cent, according to Delta. Applied across the industry this could amount to a saving of as many as 4 billion gallons of fuel and millions of tons of CO2 emissions. For example, if applied to an Airbus A380 flying from Sydney to LA, an airline would save around $5,000 and the aircraft would save more than 18 metric tons of emissions. So as a knock-on effect, the technology could plausibly make flying cheaper for passengers, too. The International Air Transport Association, of which the majority of global airlines (including Delta) are members, has pledged to achieve net zero by 2050. And what about turbulence? Researchers say that the film coating could have other positive impacts for passengers, including increasing the speed of aircraft and reducing turbulence. In a study from 2016, the University of Melbourne found that turbulent boundary layers, thin layers of liquid or air that form around bodies of vehicles, can contribute to drag. 'Even when aircraft is flying through perfectly still air, there is still this layer that forms over the aircraft and gets thicker and thicker toward the back of the plane. Within that layer, everything is chaotic and turbulent,' said Associate Professor Hutchins. 'We've found if you replicate that shark skin texture on the surface of an aircraft, you get some reduction in drag due to the turbulent boundary layers,' Hutchins added. In the 2016 report, it was suggested that maintenance issues and concerns around the colouring of the shark skin could have slowed progress in the adoption of the technology. Could it be added to any aircraft? MicroTau, the Australian firm that has teamed with Delta, has used laser technology to create the shark-skin pattern on self-adhesive patches. They say that these could be added onto existing aircraft, and indeed other modes of transport. Is this actually going to happen? It appears so. In fact, some airlines are already using their own version of the technology. Lufthansa, Latam, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and All Nippon Airways have adopted 'Aeroshark' which works in a similar way and have already added it to some of their fleet. Japan Airlines has also developed its own version of the technology in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Their method, however, uses a water-soluble mould to create riblet grooves on a painted surface. Applying this requires meticulous skill. Delta says it will now begin testing the 'shark skin' riblets on its Boeing 767 fleet. Sangita Sharma, director of Delta's Sustainable Skies Lab, said: 'We'll do ground testing, and then we'll work our way towards on-wing testing and eventually live aircraft testing. So this process is actually multi-year, very long, because safety and reliability are first.'
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
This Supersonic Jet's Sharkskin-Like Coating Helps Reduce Its Emissions
Boom's recent supersonic tests included an experimental sharkskin-like material that makes the aircraft smoother and therefore more efficient. Developed by Micro Tau in Australia, the riblet-skinned material reduces drag, fuel consumption, and carbon emissions. Last fall, Boom applied patches of the material during testing of its experimental XB-1 to its underbelly. The material is a film with microscopic grooves or riblets on the surface. It is designed to mimic a shark's skin by reducing friction and smoothing out turbulent airflow. A shark's skin is covered in microscopic grooves called dermal denticals that allow it to swim more efficiently, using less energy. More from Robb Report Move Over, Palm Beach. Why Florida's Billionaire Set Is Flocking to Manalapan Banyan Tree's First Residential Project in Europe Will Be the Padilla Madrid Residences Here's Where You Can Get Jameson's Oldest Age-Statement Whiskey Yet The first XB-1 flights were initially subsonic flights to test the material's adhesive qualities, and its later supersonic tests also left the Micro Tau material unscathed. Boom tested the material for the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the Department of Defense's organization for accelerating the adoption of commercial and dual-use technology, and the Air Force Operational Energy Office, dedicated to increasing operational efficiency of military aircraft. Typically, an aircraft design deals with drag by increasing engine thrust, which necessitates more fuel. That in turn leads to a heavier aircraft which, by definition, requires larger engines. Reducing drag by even a small percentage reduces fuel consumption (and therefore emissions) while enhancing operational efficiency. The sharkskin-like material could be used by the U.S. Air Force on legacy aircraft that include the C-17 Globemaster III, C-130 Hercules cargo transport and the KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling airplane. The three large aircraft, which carry large amounts of cargo or fuel, require unusual amounts of fuel. Delta Airlines is also testing the Micro Tau skin on its Boeing 767 fleet. The shark skin can be applied to an aircraft's fuselage, wings, and tail, and could improve efficiency up to 4 percent, according to Micro Tau estimates. 'From a big-picture perspective, our Riblet Package product can potentially save the aviation industry up to $10 billion in fuel annually,' said MicroTau Founder and CEO Henry Bilinsky in a statement. 'Due to the fuel cost savings, our customers in commercial aviation can expect a profit uplift of around 20 percent.' Last year, Lufthansa equipped some of its cargo fleet with a similar material called AeroSHARK from materials specialist BAF. The material is applied in small sections across the underbelly, and each section can be removed for maintenance and repairs. Japan Airlines and Swissair have also used AeroSHARK on selective fleet aircraft. Best of Robb Report The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast The World's Best Superyacht Shipyards The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht Click here to read the full article.
