Active aero – parts of cars which move to mechanically change aerodynamics on the fly – can now be a feature of any car you want thanks to an Arduino and some elbow grease.

This has been proven by Michael Rechtin who recently published a video of him adding an active aero spoiler / wing to his Mazda.

The construction of the spoiler is rather simple, starting with the main section made from foam and then strengthened with Bondo, epoxy and a fibreglass layer.

The real magic happens in the struts where two servos are located. This can tilt the spoiler forward to act as an air brake. This is controlled by an Arduino Nano and an accelerometer which measures the movements of the car.

When the car reduces its speed the wing flips up, adding drag and helping it to stop. In theory at least. This is all a bit of fun and Rechtin notes that it increases fuel consumption too.

This is all powered by a lipo battery and connects to the boot of the car with heavy duty suction cups. While it could be permanently installed and connected to the car’s battery, it has been made to be removable.

Aside from this silly project Rechtin also provides a brief explanation of aerodynamics, how wings work and the concept of an air brake.

In other active aero news the ridiculous Zenvo TSR-S was recently added to the game Forza Horizon 4. After you watch Rechtin’s video embedded below, give this video a watch to see this rather cartoonish real car look even more ridiculous in a game.

[h/t – Arduino Blog]