Topic: Segmented variable sweep wing aircraft

[Orstio]

Patent info here:
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5312070.html
I saw a miniature of this on television.  After reading the patent, it looks like the wing design is far more versatile than I had imagined at first.  Not only are the segments able to sweep individually, but they can also tilt and skew independently to allow for different wing shapes and formations to provide different vectors of lift and drag.
I think this type of design would definitely require a very sophisticated computer AI for control.

[Kurgan]

Strange that the patent is in Grumman's name and not Northrop...


Checked the date.. I think this was registered just before the Northrop aquisition.

[Orstio]

The concept of this is similar to RoboSwift, but far more configurable and large-scale.