Scientists Just Created a Strange Airplane Reminiscent of Universe Speeders Star Wars. Never-before-seen vehicles that fly with fuelless ion thrusters. This is a major step towards creating an aircraft of the future that would run on clean energy. Explanations.
When reality catches up with Star Wars
Scientists have just taken a major step towards creating an airplane that would travel on clean energy. In effect, a team led by Steven Barrett of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) described how to create an electro-aerodynamic propulsion aircraft, which uses solid-state propulsion. That is to say that there is no propeller, jet engine, or non-reusable fuel. A first in the field of aviation. An exploit that was recently reported by the specialized media on the issue, Nature.
The future of flight should not be propeller- or turbine-powered vehicles. It should look more like what you see in Star Trek, like some kind of ship gliding silently through the air.
This is taken from a statement by Steven Barrett from the video at the end of the article.
An unprecedented technological breakthrough
This scientific breakthrough was not possible before because our technology was simply not advanced enough. But as early as 1921, scientists managed to develop something similar, once mistaken for antigravity technology. But now the MIT team says that modern technology is sufficiently developed to design such a device.
During their tests that took place between 2016 and 2018they created an airplane with a wingspan of 5 meters and weighing 2.45 kilograms. Its wings are covered with thin electrodes. The tail has an aerodynamic profile, and the aircraft has a curved surface to produce lift like the wings of an ordinary aircraft. The device is also made up of wires charged at 20,000 volts located in the front, allowing to create a powerful electric field. Barret told IFLScience than :
The basic idea is that if you ionize the air, by removing an electron, you can accelerate the air with an electric field. Like the strength you get when you rub a ball over your head.
The future is now!
