Engineers at the Massachusetts University of Technology have built an ion-powered plane that flies without propellers or turbines, and requires no fossil fuel.
Instead, the plane is powered by an "ionic wind", or electro-aerodynamic thrust. This comes from the movement of ions – electrically charged atoms or molecules.
In a world first, the MIT team flew their plane, which has no moving parts and looks like a glider, across a 60-metre gym.
Technology could one day propel passenger planes
While the plane built by the MIT team is small — its wingspan is just five metres — the researchers say that one day, the technology could partly propel passenger planes, as part of a more fuel-efficient hybrid model of aircraft.
In the meantime, the ionic wind could be used in place of propellers to make silent drones.
The MIT team flew their plane across a 60-metre gym
"This is the first-ever sustained flight of a plane with no moving parts in the propulsion system," said team lead Steven Barrett, an associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT.
"This has potentially opened new and unexplored possibilities for aircraft which are quieter, mechanically simpler and do not emit combustion emissions."
Plane flies using electro-aerodynamic thrust
The plane flies using a propulsion method hobbyists have been toying with for some time, using smaller craft.
Electro-aerodynamic thrust is produced when a current is passed between a...