The design of aerodynamic airfoils is optimized for certain conditions. For instance, the shape of the wings of fixed-wing aircrafts are designed and optimized for a certain flight condition (in terms of altitude, speed, aircraft weight, etc.). However, these flight conditions vary significantly during the flight. Currently, aircraft are provided with control surfaces such as flaps, slat and ailerons, normally governed by powerful but heavy hydraulic mechanisms. These moving parts allow the aircraft to fly under many different flight conditions, although usually with non-optimal performance. Moreover, these mechanisms introduce hinges and surface discontinuities between parts which cause undesirable effects such as turbulences and noise or a decrease of the lift-to-drag ratio.
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