NASA and MIT test the wing of a plane at the wild silhouette

A team of NASA and MIT engineers has created a new type of airplane wing that looks like a futuristic mini version of a stealth B-2 bomber. This is not only cool, it behaves very differently from previous wing designs.

The lightweight wing is able to change shape in response to external forces. It could therefore be transformed into the most efficient configuration possible for takeoff, cruising and landing.

The hand-assembled prototype wing, which has been the subject of tests in a NASA aerodynamic wind tunnel, is made up of hundreds of identical small parts. The MIT describes each injection molded piece as "essentially a hollow cube composed of match-size spacers along each edge".

"The result is a much lighter wing and therefore much more energy efficient than conventional models, made of metal or composite," said the team. The design would also allow for a variety of wing shapes, much like using Lego pieces to make planes.

You will not soon see the wings of MIT take off from an airport near you, but the concept is exciting.

"The most promising short-term applications are structural applications for airships and space structures, such as antennas," said the researcher on Aurora Flight Sciences structures at MIT News. Campbell was not involved in the project.

The research team published its work on Monday in the journal Smart Materials and Structures.