Check out this prototype of NASA and MIT's fitness change aircraft

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NASA are reinventing the plane as we know it. Engineers from both institutions have teamed up to build and test a radically new type of aircraft wing that they believe will enhance the efficiency of production, theft and maintenance. The wing is assembled from hundreds of identical pieces, called voxels, and is able to change shape during the flight to adhere to optimal settings, no matter what action is performed at that time.

"This approach had already been implemented by our team in the form of a one-meter-long transformation wing," said Benjamin Jenett, a graduate student, who worked on the project, at Digital Trends. "The goal of this project was to develop an evolutionary manufacturing process for large light cell structures, in order to allow us to move from the scale of the RC airplane to the airframe. scale of the personal aircraft. [of around a five-meter wingspan] – thus demonstrating the feasibility of this material system and production process for the future construction of aircraft. "

If you've ever been sitting next to the wing during a flight, you may have noticed how conventional wings have individual articulated parts, called fins. These are used to control the roll of an aircraft along its longitudinal axis. The aircraft MADCAT (Adaptive Digital Composite Aerostructures Technology) allows for the entire wing to deform during the flight.

Each wing contains about 2,000 voxels. These voxels are composed of 20% glass fiber reinforced polyetherimide, a type of thermoplastic. Together, they form a lightweight lattice frame, which is then covered with a thin layer of polymeric material to form a skin. The rigidity of the completed wing is comparable to that of a solid rubber block, although it is only one thousandth of a density.

"We were able to build two sets of wings – one homogenous and one heterogeneous – and demonstrated passive and activated aerodynamic control and improved performance in a wind tunnel test environment," Jenett said.

Although this marks the end of the current MADCAT project, it is hoped that the technology will not be too long before the technology reaches its destination. Researchers are also interested in other potential applications of the material. These could include everything from new blades for wind turbines to innovative methods of building structures in space.

An article describing the research was recently published in the journal Smart Material and Structures.