Pickleball-Inspired Vehicle Drag Reduction: A pickleball’s design has inspired a new way to make vehicles move faster and steer better in air and water. Mechanical engineer Anchal Sareen from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor developed a “morphable” surface with adjustable dimples, which can cut drag and help guide movement.
The surface works like the dimples on a golf ball, but its depth can change. Adding air flattens the dimples; removing air makes them deeper. Sareen’s team found that adjusting only some dimples can control direction, similar to how fins and rudders steer ships.
“That’s a cool idea,”
said Christopher Douglas of Duke University.
“Anything you can do to minimize drag is great.” He also noted that drag can be useful for steering.
Inspiration from Nature
Sareen’s idea was influenced by the shortfin mako shark, the fastest shark in the world. This shark’s skin is covered with small toothlike scales called denticles, which can change position to control drag. When cruising, denticles lie flat to reduce drag. When turning, only certain denticles lift, allowing quick and efficient direction changes without extra effort.
From Pickleball to Wind Tunnel Tests
The research began when Sareen covered a pickleball with a balloon and used it to test how dimples affect drag. Her team 3D-printed spheres with different dimple sizes and tested them in wind tunnels. Later, they made larger hollow spheres resembling pickleballs, covered with airtight stretchy skin, and connected to a vacuum pump. Changing dimple depth by just 0.1 millimeter reduced drag by 50 percent.
Wind tunnel tests also showed the dimples could create lift, allowing better control over a vehicle’s path. Sareen’s team is improving the design and plans to test it on ships and aircraft in real-world conditions over the next few years. Despite interest, she confirmed they are not working on a golf ball version.
News in Brief: Pickleball-Inspired Vehicle Drag Reduction
A pickleball’s design inspired adjustable dimples for vehicles, created by University of Michigan engineer Anchal Sareen. The technology, influenced by shark skin, reduces drag and improves steering in air and water. After successful wind tunnel tests, real-world trials for ships and aircraft are planned.