Harvard Researchers Develop Adaptive Textile That Tunes Aerodynamics On the Fly
- MM24 News Desk
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) researchers have created a revolutionary textile that can adjust its aerodynamic properties on demand, potentially cutting drag by up to 20%. Led by David Farrell, a mechanical engineering graduate student, this innovation uses dimpled surfaces, inspired by golf balls, to reshape airflow dynamically, opening doors for high-speed sports, aerospace, and maritime applications.
In a study published in Advanced Materials, Farrell and his team describe a textile that forms dimples when stretched, even when worn tightly against the body. “By performing 3,000 simulations, we were able to explore thousands of dimpling patterns,” said David Farrell, highlighting how specific designs optimize performance for particular wind speeds. This adaptive approach could transform the way athletes and engineers think about reducing drag and improving efficiency.
The project is a collaboration between the labs of Katia Bertoldi, the William and Ami Kuan Danoff Professor of Applied Mechanics, and Conor J. Walsh, the Paul A. Maeder Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences. According to Harvard SEAS, the textile combines a stiffer black woven material, reminiscent of backpack straps, with a softer, flexible gray knit. By cutting patterns into the woven layer and sealing it with the knit layer, the team created a composite that responds to stretching by forming dimples.
These dimples operate on the same principle as golf balls, which use surface turbulence to fly farther by reducing drag. Farrell’s team showed that adjusting dimple size and shape can significantly improve performance depending on wind conditions. “When we put these patterns back in the wind tunnel, we find that certain patterns and dimples are optimized for specific wind-speed regions,” Farrell explained. This insight points to a future where clothing can actively respond to environmental forces, enhancing performance without additional effort from the wearer.
The textile’s ability to form dimples on demand stems from a lattice pattern that the team previously explored in metamaterials research. Normally, stretched textiles tighten and smooth out on the body, but the composite’s lattice structure allows controlled expansion. “Our textile composite breaks that rule,” Farrell said. “We’re using this unique property that Bertoldi and others have explored for the last 10 years in metamaterials, and we’re putting it into wearables in a way that no one’s really seen before.”
Beyond sports, the potential applications of this adaptive textile are broad. Industries like aerospace, maritime, and civil engineering could benefit from materials that dynamically manage airflow, potentially reducing fuel consumption or improving structural efficiency. Farrell’s research sits at the intersection of fluid dynamics and metamaterials, showing how creative engineering can turn fundamental physics into practical tools.
The team also tested multiple tessellations, including square and hexagonal lattice patterns, to understand how each design affects mechanical response. Using a combination of laser cutting and heat pressing, they refined the composite to perform reliably under real-world conditions, even when tightly fitted to complex body shapes.
The research was co-authored by Connor M. McCann and Antonio Elia Forte, with federal support from the National Science Foundation under award No. DMR-2011754. Harvard’s Office of Technology Development has safeguarded the innovations and is exploring commercial opportunities to bring this technology beyond the lab, potentially reshaping wearable tech and aerodynamic textiles.
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