Morphing:The Shape of Hulls, Sails and Foils to Come

I just read a most fascinating article in Composites Manufacturing Magazine( www.cmmagazine.com ) regarding new composites technologies that may have a profound effect on everything about sailboat design. The article " Morphing- The Shape of wings to Come" starts on on page 32 and presents technologies that will allow sailboat designers unparalleled design opportunity in critical areas of sailboat design.
This is most of the last paragraph of the article on page 37:
" Will the future embrace morphing structures ? The ability to create subtle or dramatic changes in the shape of a structure could find interesting applications. Imagine large skyscrapers that can deploy "spoilers" or otherwise morph to attenuate high wind loads. What about boats that could modify their hull's configuration to serve in littoral environments, heavy seas, or even deploy a hydrofoil? Imagine wind turbine blades that can sense the local wind conditions and tailor it's airfoil to optimize energy output, or to shed aerodynamic loads along the blade's length to prevent occurances of tower strike. A high performance "rigid" or "wing" sail that could constantly optimize it's 3-D shape could provide the winning edge in America's Cup racing. The possibilities are certainly intriguing, limited perhaps only by the imagination and funding."
Exciting times ahead!
------------------
Also see:
Morphing foils concept - Boat Design Forums
Address:Morphing foils concept